So, my (wonderful, by the way) MIL went shopping for us the other day. Olives were on the list, by which I indended to mean a little 100g jar of sliced black olives like we usually get, which I tend to sprinkle over toasted sandwiches or on top of sauces or whatever.
However, she inadvisedly took Mr Aspy at his word when he said “you can never have too many olives” and came back with A KILO of whole black olives! :eek: (Ironically, guess who the one person in the house is who doesn’t like olives at all)
So now I have this monster behemoth jar of olives sitting on the kitchen bench which doesn’t even fit in the fridge where I normally keep the things (I’m hoping this matters less with whole olives) and I am desperately in need of olive recipes!
Please share your olive recipes! Mr Aspy’s going on a trip this weekend, and we’re due to do the shopping tomorrow, so now’s the perfect time to dive in and at least eat enough of the jar that I don’t see it staring me accusingly in the face every time I go in the kitchen.
Further clarification: I’m relying on the kids to help me out by eating their half, if that makes any difference. Interestng suggestion though!
ETA: on the other hand … I’ll be here by myself with a fouryearold, a not-quite-twoyearold and a minus-two-week-old. Maybe I NEED a gazillion martinis! Have to ask Baby #3 what he/she thinks about sharing them with me though…
Or go Mexican. Flour tortilla, topped with Cheddar Cheese (or Monterey Jack or whatever), topped with olive slices, and heated (oven, microwave, whatever) until melted.
Or Seven Layer Mexican Bean Dip
Spread bean dip (or refried beans) on platter, top with 1 pint sour cream mixed with 1 tablespoon Taco Seasoning. Top with 1 medium tomato, chopped. 5 greeen onions. chopped. 1/2 c. black olives, 1/2 c. green olives (or in your case, 1 c. olives from the jar) 1/2 c. cheddar cheese- shredded, 1/2 c. monterey jack shredded. Eat with tortilla chips.
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 (2 ounce) can black olives, sliced
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chili peppers
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
1 (16 ounce) jar taco sauce
2 (16 ounce) cans refried beans
12 (8 inch) flour tortillas
9 ounces shredded Colby cheese
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the ground beef for 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic, and saute for 5 more minutes. Drain any excess fat, if desired. Mix in the olives, green chile peppers, tomatoes with green chile peppers, taco sauce and refried beans. Stir mixture thoroughly, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
Spread a thin layer of the meat mixture in the bottom of a 4 quart casserole dish. Cover with a layer of tortillas followed by more meat mixture, then a layer of cheese. Repeat tortilla, meat, cheese pattern until all the tortillas are used, topping off with a layer of meat mixture and cheese.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is slightly brown and bubbly.
You stole both my answers. My suggestion would be to make the tapenade. You can then use the tapenade as a base for pasta puttanesca if you get sick of just eating tapenade all the time.
Not at all. Pitted and stuffed with blue cheese or feta, Kalamatas they work well, especially with a vodka martini, and give a bit of a sinister appearance, great for drinking while plotting your next world domination plot.
Personally, however, I’d go for the tapenade or olivetta. Roast some garlic, toss in some capers, mix it with olive oil and just a bit of pepper, and it’ll keep for a week. For dinner, make some some pizza dough and spread the tapenade on the crust with some goat cheese, sun-dried tomatos, carmelized onions, and sliced mushrooms or roasted eggplant, then bake it until the crust is golden and serve with a table-wine quality bottle of sangiovese, zinfandel/primitivo, or malbec. (The flavors of the olive, cheese, and garlic will be strong so you don’t want to waste a really refined or complex wine with this; it should be a good rough table wine that can hold its own.)
Or pour a glass of Black Bush and make dinner out of a bowl of olives, a few slices of sharp Chedder or Dubliner, and a nice crust of just slightly stale or toasted sourdough rubbed with garlic. That’s what I would do if I were being lazy.
