These olives are a very tasty side dish or appetizer. A typical Sicilian preserve based on green olives, which is made in autumn during the harvest. Once crushed to remove the stone, olives are seasoned with aromas and flavors, which can vary from town to town in Sicily.
This is my personal family recipe, I still prepare them like my grandmother and aunties did. I season them with vinegar, oil, garlic and mint, pieces of celery and carrots.
However, you could also add fresh chili pepper, for a spicy version. You can also play with the use of different aromas, for example, there are those who use oregano, parsley, fennel seeds or fresh sweet peppers, cut into pieces.
Advice: prepare them in quantity because they last a long time and are quick to disappear once they are put on the table!
Ingredients
Steps
– select the best green olives: without imperfections and large. Wash them and pit them with a pit-remover. Or else, you can crush them with a meat tenderizer, a hammer or the bottom of a glass (be careful not to break the stone);
– put the pitted olives in a net (this will allow to keep the olives on the bottom thus soaked), close it and place them in a large pot or a bucket, cover with water and mix it with a pinch of a salt;
– change the water every day as this will eliminate the bitterness and the olives will become sweet;
– on the ninth day, change the water and soak them again, but this time, in fresh salted water. Use 2 fistfuls of salt;
– the next day, drain the crushed olives, removed them from the net and place them into a large bowl;
– chop all the seasoning ingredients and mix them with the olives;
– sprinkle them with abundant vinegar and mix everything well;
– leave them to steep in vinegar for a few hours;
– transfer everything in a colander for an hour to allow all the excess of vinegar to be drained;
– the olives are ready, transfer them into a sterilised glass jar (with airtight lid) and soak them fully into oil;
– store them in a dark and dry place, and they can last even 1 year.
Varied doses for servings