10 Ways Tuesday: Olives

I’ve got creative ways for cooking with olives:

1. Simply Sautéed

In How to Cook Everything, Mark Bittman shares a recipe for Sautéed Olives which embodies everything that is simple and good. He suggests that though olives don’t need cooking, they benefit an infusion of flavors like garlic and herbs. Served warm to begin the meal or as a side dish these olives are a great way to wake up the palate. He uses a mix of black and green olives, cooks them just long enough to heat through, then hits the olives with a splash of red wine vinegar. I think preserved lemon would be a nice touch, especially with black olives.

2. Tapenade

Tapenade is a kitchen staple originating in southern France with seemingly endless uses. David Tanis includes a recipe for Olive Tapenade in A Platter of Figs. Simply grind pitted Niçoise olives, anchovy, garlic, and olive oil into a paste using a food processor. The paste will keep for weeks and can be spread on bread or crackers, meat or fish, or tossed with pasta.

3. Poor Man’s Supper

I love the sound of Lidia Bastianich’s Poor Man’s Supper from her book, Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy. It’s perfect for a light supper on a busy weeknight. In the recipe, she makes a meal with savory condiments from the Umbrian pantry by tossing together roasted bell peppers, olives, capers, and chopped anchovy. A generous splash of olive oil, pinch of red pepper flakes, handful of parsley, and a bit of sliced garlic pump up the flavor. The best part: it can be made a day or two in advance. She serves the mixture on a platter with cured meats, fresh mozzarella, and hard cooked eggs or boiled potatoes. Seems like a good supper to me.

4. Olives and Beans

I’m a huge fan of the simple but thoughtful flavors in London River Cafe Cookbooks. In Italian Two Easy you’ll find a suggestion for Smashed Cannellini with Olives and Spinach. Red chile adds heat and sage adds an herbal note. They recommend Taggiasca olives from the Liqurian coast of Italy which are similar to the niçoise variety.

5. Moroccan Inspired

Moroccan inspired Chicken Tagine with Olives and Lemons is a favorite in my house. The word, tagine, refers to both a stewed dish and the pot the with a conical top used to cook the stew. However, you can use any heavy-bottomed stew pot to make a tagine. In the Essentials of Mediterranean Cooking, chicken thighs are browned then cooked with spices, preserved lemon, and olives which results in a briny, rich stew. Another great pantry meal!

6. On Your Pizza

Mario Batali shares a recipe for Pizza Napoletana in Molto Gusto. Just spread the pizza crust with red sauce then toss anchovies, capers, and Gaeta olives on top with a drizzle of olive oil. The French version of a pizza is the Pissaladière. Ann Willan shares a recipe with a bit of history in The Country Cooking of France. I’ve eaten Pissaladière in France, and there’s something about the combination of pungent thyme, acidic tomato, salty anchovy, delicate onion, and rich black olives that I can’t forget. Definitely give this flatbread recipe a try.

7. Gratin

I’ve made Anne’s Goat Cheese Gratin before, and it’s unbelievably good. Not surprising that it’s the first recipe in Patricia Wells at Home in Provence. This is the perfect pantry appetizer to serve unexpected guests. You just scatter goat cheese in the bottom of a baking dish, sprinkle in some herbs, spoon over tomato sauce, and toss in a handful of olives. If you’re feeling fancy you can add artichokes or sausage, but you don’t have to. Stick the dish under a hot broiler for two minutes and you’ve got bubbling, fragrant dip to go with crackers or bread.

8. Stuff It

Making your own stuffed olives gives you control over the quality of the ingredients, plus it’s an opportunity to experiment with interesting flavor combinations. A recipe in José Andres’ Made in Spain for Stuffed Olives with Anchovies and Piquillo Peppers looks rustic and elegant at the same time. He uses extra-large green Spanish olives and long, thin anchovy fillets. Grated orange zest adds beautiful color and a sweet citrus note. I found a recipe by Chef Jerry Pelikan of BB’s in Chicago for olives stuffed with sausage, breaded, and fried, on the Food & Wine website.

9. In a Salad

The briny flavor of olives brings complexity to a salad. Olives have a meaty texture that makes a salad more satisfying. Try a simple salad using only a few stellar ingredients so the flavor of the olives can really shine. In Vegetable Harvest, Patricia Wells shares a recipe for Cherry Tomato and Black Olive Salad that highlights the briny olive against sweet cherry tomatoes, fresh herbs, and goat cheese. The cookbook, A16, has a recipe for Raw Zucchini Salad with Green Olives, Mint, and Pecorino. Watermelon, mint, olives, and feta is another great combination for a summer salad. In A Platter of Figs, David Tanis shares a recipe for Roasted Pepper Salad that combines sweet peppers with Niçoise olives for a “smoky, velvety salad.”

10. Bread

Look to Richard Bertinet’s book, Dough: Simple, Contemporary Bread, for several ideas on how to incorporate olives into your bread dough. His Olive Bread is a rye loaf with olive paste worked into the dough. He also suggests kneading chopped olives into the ciabatta dough recipe. The Olive, Herb, & Romano Sticks look amazing!