Fresh from the tree, olives are tremendously bitter, to the point that the people who originally went to the trouble of learning how to treat them must have been extraordinarily hungry. To draw out the bitterness you'll have to cure them, either in brine or in a solution of lye, or a combination of the two.
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 pounds (1 k) freshly picked green olives
- 3 ounces (80 g) salt
- Several bay leaves
- Half a lemon, sliced
- A bunch of myrtle
Preparation:
No lye here. Set the olives to soak in a ceramic bowl, covering it with a lightly weighted lid so they stay submerged. Leave them there for a month, changing the water daily.
Then drain them well and put them in a large jar. Next, heat 3 quarts (liters) of water with the salt and 3 bay leaves; when the mixture boils turn off the heat, let it cool, and pour it over the olives. Add the lemon, more bay leaves to taste, and the myrtle, cover, and put the jar in a dark place. The olives will be ready in a few months' time.
Yield: Several jars of cured olives.
Then drain them well and put them in a large jar. Next, heat 3 quarts (liters) of water with the salt and 3 bay leaves; when the mixture boils turn off the heat, let it cool, and pour it over the olives. Add the lemon, more bay leaves to taste, and the myrtle, cover, and put the jar in a dark place. The olives will be ready in a few months' time.
Yield: Several jars of cured olives.
