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1991 ~ Norih Shore News - 49

The venerable olive

THE OLIVE is a holy sym-
bol, one of the most ancient
foods in the world, and it is
delicious!

Jeff
Smith

\

THE FRUGAL GOURMET

Archeological evidence indicates
that the earliest use of olives dates
as far back as 6,000 B.C., and
this was probably in what is now
called Syria, Palestine and Crete.
And it) was an olive branch that
was brcught to Noah by the dove,
signaling his deliverance from the
flood.

For all the peoples of the
Mediterranean region, the olive
branch is a superb symbol of life,
of cuisine, of joy.

There are many types of olives
in the world, as the following list’
will show. Green olives are simply
that; olives picked before they
ripen.

* California black olives

¢ Calamata, Greek

* Greek: several varieties

* Dried Lralian

* Tiny French Nicoises

© Green Spanish

* Green stuffed

* Chinese dried olives (lam see)

* Preserved Chinese olives, sweet

© Liccrice-flavored salty Chinese
olives

® Licorice-flavored sweet Chinese
olives

Hint: Don't be confused by the
grades of olive oil. There is really
quite 3 simple grading system.

The first pressing of the olive
gives us an ‘‘extra virgin’’ grade,
one that was not produced with
undue pressure or heat. The oil is
light and flavorful, the kind you
want for your very best salad
dressings.

“Superfine virgin olive oil’ is
next in quality, with ‘‘fine virgin
olive oi” next. ‘Virgin olive oil”

is stil @ very good product and
certainly suitable tor most of yout
kitchen needs.

Product. labeled simply “pure
olive of are juse that and gener-
ally the oil comes from the fast of
the pressings, which means heat
has been appliew to get the fast
drop out of the pulp and seed. [1
is fine for cooking.

Olive oif is really quite g00d fer
us. ft contains no cholesterol, of
course, since it is not an animal
fat.

As a matter of fact, the heart
people now belizve olive ofl helps
break down cholesterol that has
altr.ady built up in your system.
That's the best news I've heard in
a long time!

GREEN CLIVE SOUP
(Serves 6-8 as a first course)

This dish is a serious celebration
of the olive!
2c. green otives, pitted
3 (bsp. olive oil
¥; medium yeltow onion, peeled
and sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 quart fresh or canned chicken
stock
1 ¢. whipping cream
6 ibsp. flour cooked with 3 table-
spoons olive off to make a roux
Freshly ground black pepper to
taste (no salt will be necessary due
to the olives)

4 shots Tabasco

13 ¢. dry sherry

GARNISH

Sliced pimento-stuffed green olives
Ganlic-bread croutons

Soak the ofives in coid water
for | hour. Brain and coarsely
chop the olives.

Heat a frying pan and add the
oil, onion and garlic ulong -vith 4
of the olives. Saute until the
onions are transparent.

Puree this mixture in a food
processor along with | cup of the
stock,

Place the mixture in a 4-quart
saucepan and add the remaining
stock. Simmer for 20 minutes and
add the cream. ‘

Whisk in the roux and simmer,
stirring constantly, until thicken-
ed. Add pepper to taste and the
remaining chopped olives,
Tabasco and dry sherry,

Heat to serving temperature and
serve with the sliced olive and
crouton garnish.

FISH WITH OLIVES AND
BEAN CURD
(Serves 4-5)

The heavy sweet flavor of dried
Chinese olives gives this dish a
most interesting richness.

4 tbsp. peanut oi!
1 tsp. salt

Suervons F

i

(Henan

oe “®’,
NEWS photo Stuart Davis

HEART PEOPLE now believe olive oif helps break down
cholesterol that has already built up in your system.

2 tbs. fish fillets, cut into J-inch-
square pieces (whitefish, cod,
salmon or 3 mixture of these)
hse. Chinese dried olives (lam
see), soaked in water for 2 hours,
drained and cinsed in fresh water
ta Ib, bean cake, deep-fried
SAUCE

4° stices fresh ginperroot, cut
julienue

2 tbsp. hight soy sauce

2 tsp. dry sherry or Chinese rice
wine

GARNISH

2 green onions, chopped

1 tbsp. Chinese parsiey (cilantro),
coarsely chopped

Heat a wok and add the oil and
salt. Stir-fry the fish fillets for a
few minutes.

Add the sauce mixture and stir
until hot. Add the drained olives
and bean curd, cover and cook a
few more moments, stirring occa-
sionally.

Garnish with the green onions
and Chinese parsley.

GREEN BUCK WITH OLIVES

(Serves 6)

This dish is a smash. ' tasted it
for the first time in a fine vestau-
rant on: the outskirts of Athens

and the recipe is simple to
duplicate. You will have no prob-
lerns with this one.

1 4-ib. duck, cut into 6 pieces

3 tbsp. olive oi}

1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced

2 ¢. Geeek Tomato Sauce (recipe
below)

Va ¢. dry red wine

Ec. green olives

Sait and freshly ground black
pepper to taste

Heat a 6-quart stove-top casse-
role and add the oil. Brown the
duck nieces and remove from the
pan. Saute the onion and then add
all ingredients to the pot.

Cover and bring to a simmer.
You msy need to add a bit of
water.

Simmer until tender, about 1%
hours. Watch that it does not dry
out, in which case you must add a
bit more water.

GREEK TOMATO SAUCE

(Makes about 6 cups of sauce)

3 tbsp. olive off

1 yellow onion, peeled and coarse-
ly chopped

1 ciove garlic, chopped fine

5 very ripe tomatoes, cored and
coarsely chopped (about 4/2 cups)

2 thsp. chopped parsley

2 isp. whole oregans

lc. dry red wine

1 8-04. can temato sauce

1 tsp. pround cinnamon
Pinch of ground allspice
Salt and freshly ground
Pepper to taste

Heat a large non-stick frying
pun and add the olive oif. Saute
the onion and garlic until clear.
Add the tomatoes, parsley and
oregano.

Simmer, covered, untif the
womatoes are very tender, about
25 minutes. Add remaining ingre-
dients and cook an additional 20
niinutys.

RICE CONGEE WITH OLIVES
(Serves 8-10)

This is a very warming Chinese
soup made by cooking rice until it
simply turns to a thick liquid. It is
most often served for breakfast
and the flaver can be different
each time, depending on what
kind of meats you add to the
soup.

Ic. long-grain rice

$2 c. water

1% tsp. MSG (optional)

i Ub. chicken bones or pork neck
bones, or a bit of each

Vz roll preserved Chinese turnip,
chopped and rinsed

1 stice fresh ginger

ic. Chinese dried olives (lam see)

2 eggs. beaten (optional)

I tsp. sesame oif

1 tsp. white-wine vinegar

Pinch of white pepper to taste

2 green onions, chopped for gar-
nish

Put the rice in a 6-quart heavy-
lidded saucepan and add the
water, optional MSG, bones,
preserved turnips and ginger.

Bring to a boil and turn down
to a low simmer, covered.

Stir often and cook for 2 hours
or more until the mixture is thick
and fairly smooth. During the last
couple of minutes of cooking, add
the olives.

Remove the bones and ginger
slice.

Pour the beaten eggs over the
top of the soup in a thin stream
and count to 10. Gently stir in the
eggs, thus forming ‘‘egg flowers.’’

Mis the sesame oil, vinegar and
white pepper together and add to
the pot. Garnish with the green
onions.

Variations: You can add almost
any kind of cocked meat or fish
to this. Try any of the following:

© Chinese roast duck, chopped
into bite-size pieces

e Seafood: shrimp, scallops,
etc. added during the last 10 cr 15
minutes of cooking.

The magic of outdoor cooking

- or : 4

ANNE SUE
GAADINE WILSON

REAL CAMPFIRE cooking
isn’t fancy.

The firepit is simply a well-
anchored metal tire rim, and a
metal rod driven vertically in the
sund, supporting adjustable cock-
ing racks. Fuel is gathered drift
wood, dried oOwigs, or if we're
luc a few birch logs.

Cooking over the open flames is
a favorite was of grilling hiam-
burgers. sometimes marinated
beef, and on one memorable even-
Ing, elk steaks.

Usually fireside talk is idle chai-
ting. but when we have special
Torend Verry Adams, whose
engivecring expertise lige in tae
area oof contbustion, outdaor
.ooking thes on an intellecnuet

edge.

An open fire arills food in iwo
different: ways, from the flames
and from the glowing coals.

Yellow flames result from the
incomplete burning of hydrocar-
bons and organic gases. These
hold microscopic particles of soot,
and they carry the flavors released
from the burning wood.

hood absorbs the subtle tones
of apple wood or hickory chins i
yellow Mames contact the surface.

Blue flames results when burning
gases are vigorously mixed with
oxygen, When gna abundance of
osyeen inives quickly with the fire
the Mames shifts in’ cotor frome
yellaw towards Mue. The bluer the
Mame. che higher the temperature,

so food cooks faster.

Flames cook foods by the pro-
cess of convection. In outdoor
fires Moving hot gases contact the
food, while in the kitchen, heat is
initially transferred through = the
cooking pan to (he food.

Glowing coals cook by radiant
er reflected energy. much like
broiling in the oven. Many of the
organic gases, hows or, are cora-
pletely burned oat this stage. So
campfire coals hold neat put dens
ade favors,

Charring meat is one of the
biggest mistakes i outdoar cook:
ing. As sane bydrocaurbans Corin
ed oat high temperatures are con-
sidered carcinogenic, after the
mead is fight! browned, it's best

to set the grill well above the
flames,

Some research suggests that if
the outside cf ihe steak blackens,
mutagens form on the surface
which have recently been con-
nected io cell changes associated
with cativer.

Setting the grilling surface a lir-
tle higher also slows the transfer
of radixnt beat to the food, and
cools the currents of convection so
feod cooks more evenly. It helps
prevent meat coaked too well on
the outside but raw in the middie.

Outideor cooking takes some
skill, But when a ceupfice dances
and) fichers i die cwilight, even
the science on flames seems. touch:
ed by aii.

a i RR RR RL