| Kalamata Olives Pack a Lot of Punch | |
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| Jordy is quite thrilled about her success with these Kalamata Olive recipes! |
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Hello there. My name is Jordy Byrd, and I’m a sophomore at Washington State University. As an aspiring journalist, I’ve been given the opportunity to take over this column from Judy Sobeloff, and plan to continue these articles in a series.
Instead of jumping right into the goods, I have one confession: I burn, spill, break and practically destroy anything in my path when inside the kitchen. My friends and family, who have braved my cooking, would call me “quite the beginner.” Nonetheless, I am terribly excited to learn and grow with you in this series.
In college, one grows quite fond and accustomed to the microwave. Moreover, as a student I’ve learned that food is no longer a primary source of survival, but is rather a luxury.
Although I’m ready to wean myself off the microwave, I’m still a bit intimidated with the kitchen. Due to this, for my first cooking adventure, I went home to Mom and Kalamata olives.
The collection and the use of olives date back to Prehistoric Greece. The olive is one of the earliest plants cited in recorded literature, making its way into Homer’s Odyssey and the Bible.
The Kalamata olive originates from the city of Kalamata in Southern Peloponnese, and is found exclusively in Greece. Kalamata olives are a dark eggplant color and have an almond shape. The olives range from approximately ½ to 1 inch large and are harvested fully ripe. They are then pickled in either wine vinegar or olive oil, giving the olive a meaty flesh and rich flavor.
My first dish was “Pasta with Kalamata Olives and Lemon.” The first mistake I made was buying olives with a pit still inside. Those slippery little buggers were hard to pit. Note to self: learn to follow a recipe. I decided to try one of olives straight from the jar. That too was a mistake. From the very moment the olive touched my lips, my face squinted and my eyes started watering. I could do nothing but spit it out and curse (much to my mom’s offense). These olives are salty!
Meanwhile, my noodles were overflowing. And I thought boiling water was the easy part! I didn’t realize how difficult it was to multitask in the kitchen.
Finally my pasta was mixed and all I need to do was zest the lemon. Unfortunately, WSU does not offer a course titled “cooking utensils 101.” I had an intense dialogue with my mom questioning, “Is that a zester or a cheese grater?” But more importantly, “Do these things come with directions?” As it turns out, I was using a peeler.
Despite a few obstacles, the dish turned out great and the olives blended wonderfully with the pasta. My boyfriend Steve said, “It tasted kinda healthy.” My mom said she was proud, but told me that boiling noodles and chopping a few vegetables was just the beginning.
The second dish I prepared was “Kalamata Olive Bread.” Surprisingly enough, I found the preparation process manageable, but I would have been lost without my mother’s mixer. Perhaps it’s time I invest in kitchen appliances.
I forgot to score my loaves of bread before baking them, but thankfully they turned out lovely. The bread has a deep brown color with a delightfully moist interior. A subtle but ever-present taste of olives fills each bite.
My boyfriend Steve toasted the bread and added a thin spread of butter. He approved. My mother said, “She was proud and I knew she could do it the whole time.” I beamed with confidence.
The whole atmosphere was like a cliché movie scene with Mom handing down her wooden spoons and aprons. However, next time I’m on my own. Let the adventures begin!
Pasta With Kalamata Olives and Lemon (Recipe Box Web site)
1 pound
dried orecchiette or similarly sized pasta
2/3 cup
kalamata olives, pitted and halved
½ cup
extra virgin olive oil
Zest from
1 lemon
3 Tbsp.
fresh lemon juice
Salt and
freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. Roma
tomatoes
4 tablespoons
finely chopped red onion
¼ cup
basil or parsley
Parmesan,
feta or goat cheese
Cook pasta according to package directions. In a small bowl combine olives, oil, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper. Set aside. Chop Roma tomatoes. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add the olive mixture, tomatoes, red onion, and basil or parsley and toss to combine. Top with cheese. Makes 4 servings.
Kalamata Olive Bread (Panera Bread Web site)
Starter:
1 cup warm water
2 teaspoons fresh yeast
1 cup all-purpose flourDough:
2/3 cup warm water
3 Tbsp. honey
4 tsp. fresh yeast
¼ cup + 1 tsp. vegetable shortening
4 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. salt
1 ¾ cups kalamata olives, pitted
Starter: combine water and yeast in mixing bowl. Stir to dissolve yeast fully. Add the flour to bowl and stir until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Cover with a cloth and ferment at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Dough: combine water, honey, and yeast in bowl of standard mixer. Stir to dissolve yeast fully. Add shortening, flour, salt, starter and olives. Mix on low speed until dough is fully developed. Remove from mixing bowl and divide into two pieces. Roll each piece of dough into smooth balls. Cover balls with warm, damp cloth and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400° F.
Form the dough into two loaves, cover with warm damp cloth and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Score loaves, spray with water and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool.
References
About: Home Cooking, “Olives and Olive Oil.” April, 2007. http://homecooking.about.com/library/weekly/aa042897.htm
Panera Bread, “Kalamata Olive Bread.” April, 2007. http://www.panera.com/recipes/recipe.php?category=2&id=18
Recipe Box, “Pasta With Kalamata Olives and Lemon.” April, 2007. http://info.detnews.com/recipes/details.cfm?id=2782
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