Use black olives in sauce and spreads for a Mediterranean flavor.
Salty, tangy and a staple in Mediterranean food, olive trees bear delicious fruits that have been consumed for centuries throughout the world. Olive are picked, cured in a brine and occasionally pitted and then stored in jars or tins for later use. While the easiest consumption of black olives involves simply opening a jar and popping them in them in your mouth, consider stuffing them with other ingredients to make a quick appetizer or preparing olives to use as a spread or sauce for other recipes.
Instructions
Stuffed Olives
1. Measure 1 cup of softened goat cheese into a mixing bowl. Add 1 tsp. of freshly chopped basil, parsley and oregano, or an herb mixture of your choice.
2. Mix the cheese and herbs together with a spoon. Add ground black pepper to taste.
3. Slide a plastic coupler base into the bottom of an icing bag. Fit a medium-round icing tip over the base and the bag. Secure the tip with a coupler ring. Spoon the goat cheese mixture into the bag and twist the top to secure.
4. Place 20 to 30 black, pitted olives in a single layer on a baking sheet. Pick up an olive and hold it with one hand. Hold the icing bag in the other hand and insert the icing tip into the pitted hole of the olive. Gently squeeze the bag to fill the olive with the .
5. Repeat with the remaining olives. Chill the olives for 30 minutes before serving.
Olive Tapenade
6. Put 1/2 cup each of pitted black olives and green olives into a food processor.
7. Add 3 whole cloves of garlic, 2 filleted anchovies packed in brine, and 2 tbsp. of freshly chopped thyme, or another aromatic herb. Measure 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil into the processor.
8. Blend the ingredients together on high for 2 minutes. Slowly pour another 1/2 cup of olive oil as you blend the ingredients together.
9. Store the mixture in the refrigerator in an airtight glass or plastic container. The tapenade will last for 3 to 4 weeks. Use it as a spread for crackers, breads or crudites.
Black Olive Sauce
10. Finely chop 1 cup of pitted black olives and place them in a medium-sized sauce pan. Add an herb mixture of your choice -- 2 tsp. of dried sage plus 1 tsp. of fresh, chopped dill is a tasty combination -- and 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Chop 1 stick of celery and 1 tomato and add it to the pan.
11. Mix the ingredients together over medium-low heat. Add 1 cup of water and 1/3 cup of olive oil and mix the ingredients again. Allow the sauce to come to a simmer.
12. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tbsp. of cornstarch in 2 tbsp. of cold water until dissolved. Pour the mixture into the sauce and stir it together to combine.
13. Turn the heat to low and allow the sauce to cook for several minutes more, until it has reached a thick consistency. Spoon the sauce over fish, chicken or pork to add flavor to your meal.
Tags: ingredients together, black olives, black olives, cheese mixture, freshly chopped, goat cheese