Olive You Two

Olives the easy way

I love all types of olives.  In college I used to keep jars of them in my mini refrigerator for midnight snacks.  They only kind I have ever tried and not liked are the nasty black ones whose slices grace pizzas in the United States.  No matter how much I try I can't get the metallic taste that accompanies them out of my mind.   One of the things that excited me most about moving to a Mediterranean country was the potential for a great variety of olives.  And I certainly haven't been disappointed.  The largest outdoor market in Tirana sells barrels and barrels of this tiny fruit; tastes vary depending upon the region in which they were grown and eager vendors are always quick to offer samples so you can take home exactly what you are looking for.  Visiting the olive vendors is my favorite part of the market experience and I never leave empty handed.  I am the only olive eater in the Brown household but that doesn't stop me from from toting home bags of them.

Green olives ready for curing

With fall upon us and olives at their prime, I decided to try to cure my own olives this year.  Yes, I could just buy my olives from the central fruit market, or from just about any of the tiny neighborhood markets in Tirana, but where is the fun in that? Besides, I was assured that the process wasn't hard- just tedious and time consuming- but my efforts would be well worth it. So on my last market trip I came home with a large bag of the little green beauties.

All of the various online recipes and Albanians I consulted agreed that the first step to curing olives is soaking them. Fresh olives are indelibly bitter but this bitterness can be removed through a series of water baths.  In order for this soak be be effective, the flesh of each olive needs to be split.  I tried smashing the olives with a rolling pin but this technique resulted in crushing the fruit.  A hammer didn't garner much better results (although I did hit my fingers a time or two). I finally decided to slice a small "x" on each fruit with a paring knife.  The technique is similar to what I do when roasting chestnuts.  While not difficult, it was time consuming especially since it is important not to pierce the pit.

Mid soak

The next step was to soak the fruit in water in a dark room.  Over the course of two weeks, I changed my soaking water daily until all of the bitterness was removed from the olives. Unfortunately, I tasted my share of bitter olives during the last few days of the soaking process.

The seasonings

After soaking for two weeks, it was time to season and further cure the olives.  I made a brine of three cups water and two tablespoons of salt.  After bringing this mixture to a boil I set it aside to cool to room temperature.  Next, in a small bowl I mixed together two fresh lemons, cubes with their rinds still intact, a healthy two tablespoons of dried sage, sea salt, six cloves of fresh garlic that had been sliced in half, and a few red pepper flakes.

The final cure

Finally I gave the olives a final rinse under cold water then placed them in a large jar (I was so excited when I found these jars in the local store.  At the time I had no idea what I was going to use them for but they were just too cool to pass up).  I sprinkled my seasonings over the top of the olives, poured in my brine then drizzled some olive oil over the top of it all.  The jar was then sealed up and placed back onto the shelf to cure for an additional two weeks.

The verdict?  Surprisingly good. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous about how they would turn out. I served them as part of my pre-Thanksgiving dinner appetizers. Several of our guests cure their own olives so that added to my anxiety but my worry was apparently for nothing.  We ate a couple of bowlfuls and I still have plenty to share (or not) at future events.  Maybe next time I bring them out I'll even be able to get Glenn to try one.

Dig in (even my olive bowl is hand made in Albania)

This past weekend I was lucky enough to be able to further fulfill my love of all things olive by participating in an olive oil pressing.  You are read about it here.

Mushroom Toasts

Here is an old recipe my mom used to make for holiday appetizers.  The recipe was originally published in The Camden (ME) Herald  on December 29, 1989.   The original recipe is incredibly rich.  I've lightened it up a bit by reducing the amount of butter I used by 1/4 of a cup.  I also brushed olive oil on top of the bread instead of the butter (yes more butter) that the original recipe called for. The resulting dish is follows the less is more theory.  A single toast--or two-- will suffice since you want to make sure you save room for the main course.

MUSHROOM TOASTS

3 oz cream cheese, softened

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 cup fresh mushrooms, finely chopped

1/2 cup butter

1 Tablespoon mayonnaise

1/2 Teaspoon paprika

Olive oil

Thinly sliced bread cut into triangles or two-bite sized pieces

1)  Preheat oven to broil.

2)  Saute onions in a 1/2 cup of butter until soft.

Butter and onions

3)  Stir in mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are soft and the liquid has evaporated.

'shrooms

4)  Stir in mayo, cream cheese, and paprika.  Stir until well blended.

After the mixture has cooked down

5)  Brush toast slices with olive oil. Add 1 teaspoon of mushroom mixture to the top of each piece of
     bread.

Oiled bread

6)  Place toasts onto a baking sheet and broil 2-3 minutes until hot and bubbly.  Serve immediately.

Ready for the Thanksgiving table

Pancetta Braised Brussels Sprouts

Growing up I never liked Brussels sprouts.  They were always overcooked gray-green lumps sitting on my plate and taunting me to eat them.  Others might sing their praises but try as I might I just couldn't see the attraction.  Somehow I managed to avoid them for most of my adult life and I was just fine with that.  Then all of a sudden they seemed to become a trendy vegetable and they were everywhere;  all of my cooking magazines profiled the bright green piles of mini-cabbage like vegetables (in Albanian they are called little cabbages) as if they were the greatest thing around.  As I paid more attention to the recipes I was intrigued.

However, I could never seem to find a recipe that completely enthralled me so I developed my own.  What I came up with was good.  Crisp to the bite with subtle flavors of lemon, thyme and bacon (yes, everything is better with bacon) dinner guests rave about them.  Even non - Brussels sprouts eaters (a.k.a. Glenn) eat them.  As an added bonus, this dish is easy and can be made ahead of time.  I've served them both hot and at room temperature and have even been known to eat the leftovers cold right from the refrigerator.  And did I mention that they are easy to make?

PANCETTA BRAISED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

1 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced in half lengthwise

2 Tablespoons olive oil

4 ounces pancetta, diced

1 small onion, diced in 1/4 inch cubes

2 medium carrots, diced in 1/4 inch cubes

2 Tablespoons fresh thyme, minced

Zest from one lemon

1/4 Teaspoon red chili pepper flakes- or more to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

1)  Heat the olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium high heat.  Add the pancetta and stir 

     frequently continuing to cook until the meat begins to brown on all sides 5-7 minutes.

Pancetta, onions, and carrots cooking

2)  Add the onion and carrots and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.

3)  Add the Brussels sprouts to the pan and stir to combine.  Reduce heat to medium and continue to

      cook for 15 to 20 minutes stirring frequently to prevent the sprouts from sticking.  Add additional

      olive oil in one teaspoon increments if necessary to prevent scorching.  

4)  Cook until the Brussels sprouts are to your preferred level of doneness. They will turn a bright green

     as they continue to cook and will brown slightly on their cut sides.  I prefer mine crisp to the bite and

     a total of 20 to 25 minutes of cooking usually does the trick.

5)  Remove from the heat.  Add the thyme, lemon zest and chili pepper flakes and season with salt and 

     pepper.  Enjoy!

Ready to eat

Chestnut, Pear, Cherry and Sage Dressing

For some Thanksgiving is all about the turkey; for me, it is all about the side dishes.  Don't get me wrong.  I love a nice juicy slice of turkey but it is everything that gets piled on the plate along with the meat that gets me the most excited.  The hardest part about living in Albania is my inability to access some of my traditional Thanksgiving (and Christmas) standbys- fresh cranberries and sweet potatoes are not available here and due to their perishability, it is not possible to get them shipped in through the pouch.  (I'm sure at some point someone has tried this but I haven't done it yet. Maybe next year........).

There are still plenty of delicious side dishes that I can make and this recipe for Chestnut, Pear, and Sage Dressing based on a recipe from Williams-Sonoma is just the first of several that I will highlight over the coming weeks.  Not only does this dish bring together some of the tasty and plentiful ingredients that are found here in Albania but it also makes good use of the roasted chestnuts I prepared earlier this week.  The original recipe calls for the inclusion of breakfast sausage.  I omit this since many of our guests do not eat pork.  I also double the recipe since leftover dressing is a vital part of any post-Thanksgiving Day turkey sandwich.

CHESTNUT, PEAR, CHERRY, AND SAGE DRESSING

1-pound loaf of rustic bread, torn into 1/2 inch pieces

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

1 large yellow onion, cut into 1/2 inch dice

1 large carrot, cut into 1/2 inch dice

3 celery stalks, cut into 1/2 inch dice

2 small pears, cored and cut int 1/2 inch dice

1 cup peeled and chopped roasted chestnuts
1 cup dried sour cherries, chopped

1/3 cup finely chapped fresh sage

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

4 cups turkey or chicken stock
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1)  Spread the bread out on a baking sheet and let dry overnight.  Alternatively, toast in a 300 degree F
     oven for 30 minutes making sure the cubes do not burn.

2)  Preheat an oven to 375 degrees.  Butter a large, shallow baking dish.

3)  In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt 1 Tablespoon butter and add the onion, carrot, celery
     and pear.

Ready for the pan

4)  Saute, stirring occasionally, until tender, 7 to 8 minutes.  Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

Melding flavors

Yummy additions

5)   Add the chestnuts, dried cherries, sage, melted butter, stock and salt and pepper and stir to mix.
      Add the bread and stir to combine.

Before the addition of the bread

4)  Transfer the dressing to the prepared baking dish and dot with butter.  Bake until golden and crispy,
      about 1 hour.

Into the oven it goes

Serves 10-12 people.


Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the finished dressing in all of its golden goodness.  Our guests dug into the dish immediately and there weren't any leftovers. I guess this is a sign of a good dish.  I'll have to make it again and remember to get a picture next time.