The Art of Food: olives

Showing posts with label olives. Show all posts

Olive + Preserved Lemon Condiment

1 wedge Preserved Lemon, chopped (rinse lemon and remove pulp before chopping)

1 Tablespoon capers, coarsely chopped
1 Tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper

Place all ingredients in a small bowl. Gently fold all ingredients together. Serve at room temperature.
Makes about 1/2 cup

Crostini Olivada

This is the ideal impromptu antipasti. It can be made in minutes and blends the wonderful flavors of the Mediterranean.

1 baguette, cut into ¼ inch slices 1 whole clove garlic, cut in half 1 six oz. jar Bella Cucina Olivada Olive Pesto 1 wedge Bella Cucina Preserved Lemon, diced (rinse lemon and remove pulp before chopping) 1 Tablespoon capers 1Tablespoon fresh lemon juice 2 Tablespoons chopped Italian parsley Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Place baguette slices on a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about 8-10 minutes.

In a bowl, combine the pesto, preserved lemon, capers, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon parsley, salt and pepper.

Gently rub each crostini slice with the cut side of the garlic clove. Spread the softened goat cheese on each piece, then top with the olive spread, and sprinkle with the remaining parsley for garnish.

Pane Insalata with Olivada Pesto

PANE INSALATA WITH OLIVADA PESTO, LEMON DRESSED ARUGULA GREENS AND PARMESAN CHEESE

1 sheet Pane Rustico Italian Flatbread
½ cup Olivada Olive Pesto
small handful of arugula greens
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. Wild Oregano & Sage Salt
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
shavings of parmesan cheese

In a 350 degree oven, bake the sheet of flatbread in the oven until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes {watch carefully- it cooks fast!}. Break into 10-12 rough hewn pieces. Spoon the olive pesto over the sheet of flatbread evenly, leaving about an inch of the bread plain.
In a small bowl, add the lemon juice and salt, and whisk in the oil until it is emulsified. Toss a one Tablespoons with a handful of greens and dress lightly, just until coated. Place on the flatbread. Top with shavings of cheese.

Serve immediately.
*note: the pane will become soggy if prepared with the other ingredients too early. Put together about 15-20 minutes before serving.

Branzini with Preserved Lemons, Olives and Salsa Verde

Branzini with Preserved Lemons, Olives and Salsa Verde

I like to bake this dish in a terracotta planter base (one without a hole in the bottom) and serve it from oven to table.

4 - 6 oz. sea bass or other fish, such as halibut, cod, tilapia or even salmon. {make sure you buy only safely & humanely approved sea bass}
1/4 c. sliced Preserved Lemons, about 3 wedges (rinse lemon and remove and discard pulp before slicing)
1/2 c. Citrus Fennel or Antipasti olives
{our NEW! Citrus fennel olives will be on our website soon}.
3 T. Olive oil from the antipasti Olives
Wild Oregano & Sage aromatic salt (or kosher salt)
Freshly cracked pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut fillets into 2-inch pieces and place in an oven proof baking dish or terracotta platter. Scatter the preserved lemon slices and olives over the fillets. Drizzle with olive oil and season with the salt and pepper. Bake until the fish is just cooked (it should be firm to the touch), 7-10 minutes.

To make the sauce:

Salsa Verde
1/2 c. Italian parsley leaves
2 T. plus 1 teaspoon champagne vinegar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 T. chopped fresh chives
2 T. capers, drained or rinsed, if salt packed
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 t. coarsely chopped sage leaves
1 t. fresh oregano leaves
1 t. kosher salt
1 t. freshly cracked black pepper
3/4 c. Tuscan Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 T. aromatic lemon oil (optional)- not currently on the site, but available.

In a blender or food processor, add all of the ingredients except the oils. Process on high speed, slowly adding the olive and lemon oils in a steady stream through the top of the blender or processor, until the mixture is smooth and emulsified.

Makes 1/2 cup.

NOTE: you can substitute salsa verde with Bella Cucina Garden Herb Sauce.

Olive + Warm Feta Cheese Antipasti

You will be amazed at how these simple ingredients are transformed when baked. The texture of the feta becomes creamy and its flavor is enhanced by soaking up the oil and herbs . The olives become meaty when warm and soft and because they have been infused with the flavors of lemon , bay leaf and garlic, they sing of the Mediterranean.

Ingredients: 1/2 cup drained Bella Cucina Antipasti Olives, reserving oil
6 ounces sheep’s milk feta cheese
1 tablespoon Sicilian Lemon Oil
2 tablespoon oil from Bella Cucina Antipasti Olives
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Place the cheese in an ovenproof dish and top with the thyme and pepper, pressing lightly so that they stick to the cheese. Sprinkle the olives around the cheese and pour over the oils. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until cheese is golden on top and brown on the bottom bubbling around the edges. Remove from the oven. Transfer the cheese and the olives to a serving platter and spoon the heated oil over the cheese. Alternately you may serve the cheese directly from the baking dish for a more rustic presentation (this also keeps the cheese warm).

Serve warm crostini rounds (recipe, page xx) or Bella’s Dipping Crackers.

Serves six as an antipasti

Grilled Haloumi in Fig Leaves + Olivada Lemon Relish

Eating, for me, is as much about the feel of the food as it is about the flavor. One of my favorite foods that is all about texture is Haloumi.

To some, Haloumi may just look and taste like an overly salted brick of white rubber. {Mmm...have I whet your appetite yet?} To be fair, you might not have known that Haloumi should not be eaten uncooked {even though I do, but only in small bites when preparing it for cooking}. It is meant to be pan sautéed, grilled or baked. In otherwords, you have to get it hot and melty, with a nicely seared crust, so it becomes the wonderful Greek dish it is meant to be. I love its creamy, bright-white color; its briny, just-from-the-sea fresh flavor;its chewy, crispy texture. And while this recipe takes poetic license with traditional fare, I hope it will help you fall in love with Haloumi as much as I have!

GRILLED HALOUMI + OLIVADA LEMON RELISH

This recipe is a great way to use fig leaves. If you aren't growing them in your backyard, you can substitute pickled grape leaves. Find them at a specialty grocer or online.

8 ounces Haloumi cheese
2-4 fig or grape leaves, depending on size
2 skewers, soaked in water for 10-15 minutes
1/3 cup Olive Pesto {you can substitute chopped Kalamata olives}
1 wedge of Preserved Lemons, rinsed and chopped {you can substitute lemon zest and lemon juice, but it won't quite be the same}. * notation below.
1 teaspoon salt-packed capers, rinsed
Toasted crostini bread rounds

Rinse and dry the leaves. Lay them out flat and overlap them to make a nice bedding for the cheese. Place the cheese in the middle of the leaves. {Sometimes I like to add a pinch of crushed peperoncini chili flakes.} Fold the leaves over the cheese, like making a package. Secure the leaves by threading the skewers through the leaves and cheese on opposite ends.

In a small bowl, gently fold together the pesto, preserved lemons and capers. Reserve a few pieces of lemon and capers to garnish the top.

Place on the grill and cook about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until the leaves are nicely charred and the cheese is very soft.

Place cheese on a platter, remove the skewers and open up the leaves. Serve immediately with the relish and toasted bread rounds.

Serves two to four as an appetizer.

*NOTE: Bella Cucina is one of the few artisan producers making Mediterranean-style preserved lemons. The lemons are cut into wedges before they are preserved so they are easier to use. Not available on the website, please call the store to order. 800.580.5674.

Buon appetito!
copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

Branzini Baked Sea Bass with Olives & Preserved Lemons

I am on Fox news "Good Day Atlanta" today! Tune in to see me with Suchita preparing one of my favorite spring receipes from my cookbook, La Bella Vita. Buon Appetito!

go HERE to see the video online, listed as "different ways to use pesto".

Branzini with Preserved Lemons, Olives and Salsa Verde

I like to bake this dish in a terracotta planter base (one without a hole in the bottom) and serve it from oven to table.

4 - 6 oz. sea bass or other fish, such as halibut, cod, tilapia or even salmon. {make sure you buy only safely & humanely approved sea bass}
1/4 c. sliced Preserved Lemons, about 3 wedges (rinse lemon and remove and discard pulp before slicing)
1/2 c. Citrus Fennel or Antipasti olives
{our NEW! Citrus fennel olives will be on our website soon}.
3 T. Olive oil from the antipasti Olives
Wild Oregano & Sage aromatic salt (or kosher salt)
Freshly cracked pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut fillets into 2-inch pieces and place in an oven proof baking dish or terracotta platter. Scatter the preserved lemon slices and olives over the fillets. Drizzle with olive oil and season with the salt and pepper. Bake until the fish is just cooked (it should be firm to the touch), 7-10 minutes.

To make the sauce:

Salsa Verde
1/2 c. Italian parsley leaves
2 T. plus 1 teaspoon champagne vinegar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 T. chopped fresh chives
2 T. capers, drained or rinsed, if salt packed
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 t. coarsely chopped sage leaves
1 t. fresh oregano leaves
1 t. kosher salt
1 t. freshly cracked black pepper
3/4 c. Tuscan Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 T. aromatic lemon oil (optional)- not currently on the site, but available.

In a blender or food processor, add all of the ingredients except the oils. Process on high speed, slowly adding the olive and lemon oils in a steady stream through the top of the blender or processor, until the mixture is smooth and emulsified.

Makes 1/2 cup.

NOTE: you can substitute salsa verde with Bella Cucina Garden Herb Sauce.

From the cookbook, “La Bella Vita” by Alisa Barry
Buon appetito!
copyright 2009 Alisa Barry