Sunday, March 08, 2009
Olives. I try to never run out of them. Whenever the jar is almost empty I make sure to buy some more from my local middle eastern store. I like to buy the ones labled “Lebanese Green Olives” from a giant plastic barrel These taste the closest to the ones I remember from back home. If I’m lucky, they have a new batch and they have amazing “green” slightly bitter taste. When I get my olives home, dump them in a bowl and season them. Normally I use some fresh ground coriander, dried oregano, chilli flakes, sliced lemons and if I have them, some sliced chilli peppers. These all go into the jar and are topped with olive oil.
What to do with the handful of olives leftover from the previous batch? The ones that were strained out to make room for the new olives. They are never wasted of course. Here I tossed them with sliced tomatoes and Meyer lemon slices in an impromptu salad for dinner. A word about those lemons. The few remaining on my tree have gotten very big with thick skin and are utterly delicious simply sliced and mixed with stuff or eaten with a sprinkle of salt out of hand.
