Tasty recipes using olives

I love olives in all their colours, shapes and forms. My marinated ones have achieved some sort of fame – everyone loves them and I’m always being asked to make them for special occasions. You can find the recipe in a previous post at this link. http://eatingcoventgarden.com/2012/10/03/zesty-citrus-olives/.

Originally thought to symbolise peace and wisdom, olives are also really good for you as they’re high in fibre and contain plenty of minerals and nutrients.

To celebrate the olive harvest season Olive it! have teamed up with top chef Jose Pizarro to create some delicious autumn-inspired recipes. They’re really simple and tasty and will give you more of a creative olive outlet. I know I’ll be trying them. If you’re inspired by this (which I’m sure you will be!) and feel the need for more olive recipes, visit www.oliveit.eu

You can also watch this fantastic video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6IjkMUck0E

Just copy and paste this link.

Videos on my blog…now I’m impressed!

Sautéed girolles, black olives and thyme

125g black olives

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 small shallot, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

75g small whole girolles, cleaned

2 sprigs thyme

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

In a frying pan, heat the oil and fry the shallots over a medium heat for a minute or two until they soften but don’t colour

Lower the heat a little then add the garlic and the girolles and cook for three minutes before adding the olives and the thyme

Cook for a few minutes more then season with salt and black pepper.

Pour into a serving bowl and serve warm

Chicken stew with tomatoes, chorizo and black olives

Serves 4

100g black olives

1kg chicken breast and thigh meat, cut into 2cm cubes

Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

4tbs olive oil

200ml red wine

2 medium onions, chopped

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

125g chorizo sausage, chopped

2 tsp bitter-sweet pimento

2 tbsp tomato puree

1can 400g chopped tomatoes

300ml chicken stock

The leaves from 3 large sprigs thyme

2 bay leaves

3tbs sherry vinegar

1tsp sugar

2tbs chopped flat parsley

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large casserole and brown the chicken in batches until nicely browned, set aside in a bowl

Add another 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan with the onions and fry gently for 15 minutes until very soft and lightly browned. Add the garlic and chorizo and fry for 2-3 minutes more. Add the wine to the pan and as it bubbles up, scrape the base of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the caramelized juices

Stir in the pimento and cook for 1 minute, then add the tomato puree, the tomatoes, chicken stock, thyme and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer gently for 30mins.  Add the chicken to casserole and cook for another 10mins

Put the sherry vinegar and caster sugar into a small pan and boil until reduced to 1 tablespoon. Stir it into the casserole with the olives then simmer for another 10 minutes leaving it uncovered if the liquid needs to reduce a bit more

Add more seasoning if required and finish with the parsley

Black olives, anchovy, orange and rosemary 

150g black olives

30g tinned anchovies, drained of oil and halved

1 medium orange, peeled and segmented

4-5 small sprigs rosemary

Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Mix the olives, anchovies, orange and rosemary together and leave to marinate for 2-3 hours

Season with a little pepper before serving