PICKLED GREEN OLIVES

  • 1 Litre of SODA for 10 LITRES of WATER
  • 15 kg. of olives to be processed (to take away the bitterness).
  • Soaking time, 4 hours
  • Then, change the water once a day for 10 days
    Never leave the olives out of the water for more than 5 minutes to prevent blackening.
    First soaking     : 60 gr of salt per litre of water, for 48 hours
    Second soaking : 70 grs. of salt per litre of water, for 48 hours.
    Then, renew after 3 or 4 days with 70 grs. of salt per litre, flavoured or not with fennel.

    • SPLIT GREEN OLIVES

    Choose green olives, pick the fruits before they change colour, do not treat them to take away the bitterness.
    Give each olive a slight blow with a wooden hammer to split the fruit without breaking the stone.
    Leave the olives soaking in cold water for 9 days.
    Drain the olives and put them into glass jars or stone jugs and cover them with a brine solution of 70 grs. of salt per litre.
    Add an orange peel and some coriander or fennel seeds.
     

    BLACK SALTED OLIVES

    Choose a variety of large fruits and pick them at full maturity when they are a full black.
    Prick them with needles fixed onto a cork or with a small sharpened fork so as to pierce the pulp with a great number of small holes.
    Put the pierced fruits in a basket, a layer of olives and a layer of fine dry salt alternately (1 kg. of salt for 2 to 3 kgs. of olives).
    Toss them in the basket, three or four times a day, for about one week.
    The salt makes the olives suint, they shrivel and loose their bitterness.
    One may flavour them with laurel leaves. Put them in airtight containers (such as preservation bottles). Eat them just as they are. One may also coat them with oil (if possible of the same variety).
     
    ROAST SEA BREAM WITH "LUCQUES DU ROUSSILLON"
    Serves 4
     
    1 beautiful sea bream of about 1,7 kg

    4 beautiful tomatoes - 1 head of garlic - 2 beautiful onions

    2 beautiful potatoes from Cerdagne (if possible)

    200 gr of olives "Lucques du Roussillon"

    Olive oil - Cooking salt - Cooking pepper
     
    Let your fishmonger scale and clean the sea bream (if you can't be bothered to do it yourself).
    Peel the potatoes en cut them up into 4 mm slices. Do the same with the onions. Coat an oven plate with olive oil and display the potatoes, the onions and 100 gr. of olives into it (don't hesitate to fill up the fish with the same). Put the fish onto this bed and sprinkle with olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Put into a hot oven (230-240°) for about 15 minutes, then in a warm oven (160-180°) for another 15 mn.
    In the meantime, clean the tomatoes and cut them up into cubes. Peel the head of garlic and slice the cloves. Brown the garlic in olive oil, add the tomatoes, leave cooking for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the sliced olives, leave cooking for another 4 mn, and cover the sea bream with this preparation just before the end of the cooking time.
     

    Jena-Marie PUJADES

    Chef - "Casa Sansa"

    Perpignan FRANCE