Olive Preservation

these are the smallest ones

A friend had an over abundance of olives on their trees this season and I was kind enough to take as many as they wanted to give. I tested out some different ways to preserve the olives & this is what worked best. I am not sure what variety theses are but they are very peppery and have medium sized pits. Adjust times for the brine based on the size of the olives.

Rinse all the olives and discard any leaves & stems. One at a time cut an x to the tip of the pit into the stem hole of each olive and place in a container large enough to hold all the olives or at least 10 lbs worth. Discard any olives that are mushy, blemished or damaged. Cover with cold water and place a lid on container. Store container in a cool dark place and change the water once a day for 14 days. After 14 days taste an olive. If too bitter continue to soak in cold water, changing each day until they breach an acceptable taste. This can take up to another month. Once olives are too your liking they are ready to brine.

Follow standard cold pack instructions. The brine amount below will fill 8-10 24 oz mason jars depending on the size of the olives. Cover the olives in the boiling brine and fill jars slightly lower than normal. Top each jar with olive oil to bring it up to the required height before sealing. Once sealed let olives sit 2 weeks before opening. Sort the olives in the containers by size to aid in the evenness of brining and open the smaller ones before the larger.

Olive Brine

• 1 cup sea salt
• 10 cups water
• 2 cups white vinegar
• 1 lemon juiced with halves
• 3 cloves garlic per jar

Add all ingredients but garlic in a large pot and bring to a boil. Pour over packed olive jars adding garlic to each one. Top with olive oil and seal. Refrigerate any jars that do not ping.

Greenpoint

so festive

The twelve cocktails of Christmas this year have two successes already. This is a great addition for anyone who likes rye mixed with bitter citrus. I like Old Overholt bonded and Vya sweet vermouth for this.

The Greenpoint

• 2 oz bonded rye
• 1/2 oz yellow Chartreuse
• 1/2 oz sweet vermouth
• 1 dash Angostura bitters
• 1 dash cardamon bitters
• lemon twist to garnish

In a mixing glass with ice stir all ingredients until incorporated. Strain into martini glass and garnish with lemon peel.

Bitter Giuseppe

complex and rich

This uses Cynar but other amaros can be substituted for a completely different flavor.

Bitter Giuseppe

• 2 oz Cynar amaro
• 1 oz Cocchi Storico Vermouth di Torino
• 1/4 oz lemon juice
• 5-6 dashes orange bitters
• lemon twist for garnish

Fill serving glass with ice. In a mixing vessel add all ingredients with ice and stir until well incorporated. Dump ice from serving glass and express the lemon juice/oil while zesting the twist into it. Add twist to glass and pour cocktail in. Serve immediately.

Cioppino

My take on the classic using fish from the northwest.

Cioppino

• 1 lb salmon cut into 2″ strips skin still on
• 24 clams
• 12 mussels
• 1 dungeness crab
• 1 lb shrimp shelled
• 4 anchovy fillets
• 1 fennel diced fine & 2 tbsp fronds chopped fine
• 1 onion diced fine
• 4-5 garlic minced
• 1-2 cayenne peppers chopped fine
• 1 can 28 oz whole tomoates crushed by hand
• 8 cups fish stock
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2-3 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• crusty bread

Shell crab leaving legs & claws intact. Make a shellfish stock with remaining crab shells & shrimp shells that yields about 4 cups. In large stock pot melt 3 tbsp butter with 1 tbsp olive oil over low heat. Add onion and saute until golden brown. Add fennel and saute until soft. Add galic chili pepper & anchovy and cook until fish dissolves. Add tomato paste and stir until incorporated on vegetables. Turn heat to high, add wine & deglaze pan. Add tomatoes, both stocks & oregano, bring to a boil then simmer until reduced by a 1/4, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper then add the mussels, clams & crab in shell. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Uncover & discard any shells that did not open. Then add shrimp, crab meat & salmon & cook 5 minutes more. Serve in deep bowls with bread to dip.

Boulevardier

This is one of our new favorites. Old Grandad bonded is perfect for this.

Boulevardier

• 1.5 oz bonded bourbon
• 1 oz Campari
• 1 oz Cocchi Vermouth di Torino

Zest a long peel of orange into a martini glass. In a shaker filled with ice add alcohol, shake well and pour into glass.

Trail Bars

Theses are great as a snack or energy bar.

Trail Bars

• 1 cup pecans or walnuts
• 1 cup almonds or hazelnuts
• 4 tbsp unbleached white flour
• 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup oats
• 1 cup chopped dates or figs
• 1 cup chopped prunes
• 1 egg
• 4-5 tbsp honey
• 2-3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease 9″ square baking pan. Place nuts on a baking sheet and roast for about ten minutes, then cool and chop into small pieces. In a large bowl mix flour, flaxseed, baking powder and baking soda then add salt and mix again. Add nuts and dried fruit and mix again. In another bowl mix egg, vanilla and honey together then pour over dried ingredients, mix well and press into baking pan. Drizzle maple syrup over top and bake for 25-30 minutes until set. Let cool for 5 minutes then cut into squares in pan. Let cool completely before removing. Will keep in a sealed container for weeks.

Corpse Reviver Contemporary

refreshing and strong

This is a better option than the classic. Use a good dry gin and vermouth for this.

• 1 oz dry gin
• 3/4 oz yellow chartreuse
• 3/4 oz dry vermouth
• 1/2 oz lemon juice
• absinthe
• lemon peel

In a martini glass pour a splash of absinthe, coat glass and drink what remains. Express lemon juice as zesting the peel into glass as well. Add other ingredients to a shaker with ice, shake well and serve in glass with lemon peel to garnish.

Banana Nut Bran Muffins

These are adjusted from Nourish & Fete.

light and delicious unless you hate banana

• 1 1/4 cups wheat bran
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup unbleached white flour
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 bananas
• 1 cup buttermilk 
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup black walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients together. Mash bananas to a paste with oil and eggs. Add remaining wet ingredients and mix well. Pour into dry ingredients and mix to combine. Spoon into prepared muffin pans to top and bake for about 20 minutes.

Mariner’s Octopus

This works best with little grape tomaotes that are halved at most but can be done with any size diced fairly fine. 12-15 baby octopus or 1 whole octopus can be used. If one large on cut it into medium pieces when you add the tomatoes.

Mariner’s Octopus

• 2 1/2 lbs baby octopus
• 1 onion halved and thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves chopped roughly
• 2 cups grape tomatoes larger ones halved
• 1/3 cup red wine
• 1 tbsp chopped sage
• 3 tbsp chopped basil
• Salt/pepper

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat and add onion. Saute until golden and all rings are separated, then add garlic, sage and octopus. Stir to one layer and cover. Saute over low heat for one hour stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, wine and basil and saute covered for another hour until sauce is thick. Serve with polenta.

Pickled White Turnips

check out my shiny balls

Keep turnips whole up to the size of a ping pong ball, halve any larger. Make sure to wash and remove bad spots before parboiling. This is the ratio per 32 oz jar of pickles.

Pickled White Turnips

• 1 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup white vinegar
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 2-4 dried cayenne peppers
• 1 tsp black peppercorn
• 1 tsp mustard seed
• 1 tsp celery seed
• 1 tbsp dill seed
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• Turnips

Parboil turnips for 45 seconds then strain into ice water for 5 minutes. Measure out turnips into 32 oz mason jars then sterilize jars. Bring water, vinegars and salt to a boil. Pack each jar with spices and turnips, pour brine to cover and seal. Let stand till all caps ping then store for 30 days before eating. Refrigerate any containers that fail to seal.