Monday 15 October 2007

Cretan olives


GREEN CRUSHED OLIVES (Tsakistes)
Taken big green olives (tsounates), wash them and then crush them with a flat stone taking care not to break the pip.
Put the olives in a big pot and pour boiling water over them.
Let them stand for half an hour. This way their color does not fade.
After draining them, put them in a big glass or earthenware jar full of fresh water.
Change the water morning and evening for 5-6 days.
This will draw the bitterness.
It might take a couple of days longer.
Dissolve half a cup of salt in a glass full of lemon or sour orange juice.
Pack the olives in this ‘’brine’’ and pour some olive oil to cover them.
This will prevent the olives from ‘’breathing’’, otherwise they will go mouldy.
Recipe designed for a five –kilo jar.


BLACK SALTED OLIVES (pastes)
Or seliniotikes or alatsolies.
Use small, black olives.
First wash them and then soak them in water for three days.
After draining them, layer them in a straw basket with coarse salt on top of each layer.
Leave 25 cm at the top of the last layer so that when you shake the basket every 5-6 days, the olives can be evenly salted.
Remove the excess salt with a big sieve 18-20 days later.
Wash, drain and oil the olives by hand before serving.

PICKLED OLIVES
(Ksydates)
Use big black olives.
Slit them making sure not to touch the pip.
Soak them in water and freshen them for 5-6 days as for the above Tsakistes.
Pack them in a jar with water where you have dissolved a small quantity of quicklime (the size of a walnut per kilo).
After 4-5 hours remove, drain, and soak the olives in vinegar for one day.
Drain and preserve them in olive oil.

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