Cure Your Own Olives 5 Steps with PicturesIt iswas that time of year again Olives season. If you are fortunate enough to live in a region where they grow, you owe it to yourself to give curing your own a try. While there are many many methods and recipes you need not be intimidated. Ive been curing olives for quite a few years and have run the range of lye cures, salt box cures and various brines. After a number of variations I find that Im happiest just using salt and patience. Olive-704360.jpg' alt='Best Way To Pit Olives' title='Best Way To Pit Olives' />Whether its Leslie Knope, the nonLisa Simpsons, Vernon Dursley, or your racist uncle who draws scientifically bunk parallels between salad consumption and gender. How I Cure Olives Step by step process with photos. Pit Mezzetta Castelvetrano Olives by crushing them with the side of a chefs knife or a hard, flat object and work the pits out by hand or use a cherry pitter. No special tool is needed to pit an olive use a chefs knife to flatten it for easy pitting. Place the olives in a bucket. Once you have the olives, gently smash the flesh with a hammer to loosen the fruit around the pit. Cover the crushed olives with warm. Here, find our best chicken recipes according to Real Simples followers on Pinterest. How to Cure Olives. Curing olives is an ancient process that turns the naturally bitter fruit into a deliciously salty, tart snack. Choose a curing method. It doesnt get more simple than this but it does take some effort in the beginning and a lot of patience as they cure. By not using more complicated cures I can wait to decide what to flavor them with and marinate them with herbs, oil and other things like garlic or peppers in small batches to suit whatever mood Im in at the time. Though most often we simply eat them as they are from the basic brine. If you dont live near an olive area you can order raw olives online. They range broadly in price. I arrange ahead with an oil producer who is kind enough to sell me olives from his orchard. I get them for about 2 a pound. In past years even curing 4 6 pounds has left us buying olives by the end of the year. This year Im putting up about 8 or 1. I try to plan ahead as best I can and understand that the olives I put up today will be the ones we are eating the following year. Once you get in the habit its pretty simple and makes for a nice seasonal family tradition. How to Build the Perfect Salad. Whether its Leslie Knope, the non Lisa Simpsons, Vernon Dursley, or your racist uncle who draws scientifically bunk parallels between salad consumption and gender identity, I cant think of a food thats cooler to hate than salad. Thats really too bad, because a well constructed salad is one of lifes great pleasures. Mastering the art of cooking is a lifelong pursuit, but honestly, its pretty easy to make meat taste good. Its not that Im unimpressed by a perfect medium rare rib eye or a meltingly tender duck confit Im just far more impressed by chefs who treat vegetables with as much care and attention as they do meat. A few balanced and exciting salads on an otherwise meat forward menu indicates, to me, a chef who truly gives a damn about what they do. Sure, salads can be light and healthy whatever that means, but theyre also a master class in texture and flavor balance, which is why every cook should master at least a couple. Fair warning this is less of a step by step guide to salad construction than it is a meditation on the beauty and sheer possibilities of an unfairly maligned dish. Of course, there are tips and tricks for everything from ingredient selection to dressing recipes, but my goal in writing this is to inspire you to look at salad a little differently, and hopefully, welcome it into your life with open arms. Know Thyself and Thine PreferencesWhen I told my boyfriend that I was writing a piece about how great salad is, he laughed and reminded me of the weeks old, unopened bucket of spring mix in our fridge that I refuse to eat. Its far from the first time this has happened, too. He has a point, but who among us hasnt bought salad greens with wide eyed, misguided hopes that this bucket of leaves would finally release the joyful salad eater within If youre no big fan of salad in a bag or even if you are and want a healthier, homemadeRead more ReadA pile of leaves with some other shit on top is a frustratingly common definition for salad, and I think its why so many people hate it. Its okay to dislike lettuce it kinda sucks, honestly. Once I ditched boring and overpriced spring mix for more robust greens like kale, cabbage, mustard greens, and arugula, I started appreciating salad so much more. As with most things in life, you gotta know what you like and be honest with yourself about it. Speaking of which, you dont have to like raw vegetables to eat more salad. Even very omnivorous people have texture issues plus, some folks systems just reject them outright. Anything can be the base for a salad, from roasted squash to leftover rice to stale old bread. Start with ingredients you know you like and go from there. Consider Both the Forest and the Trees. A well executed salad is a symphony of tastes and textures each element has to work individually and as part of the whole. The best way to accomplish this is by seasoning each ingredient separately before assembling your salad. I know that sounds extra as hell, but it doesnt have to be. Just sprinkling a pinch of salt on a bowl of greens before dressing them makes a world of difference. Being the seasoned and savvy home cook that you are, you probably know how to make a simple saladRead more Read. Of course, you can take it further than salt. Its your salad and you can do whatever you want. Take a minute to massage raw kale or mustard greens with oil and a pinch of salt before adding the other ingredients its totally worth it. Go ahead and pickle your own celery for tuna salad, or roast up some carrots and mushrooms for a marinated lentil salad. Toss julienned apples with lemon juice to prevent them from browning too much in a delicate slaw. Shave off huge strips of Parmesan with a vegetable peeler so the cheese becomes a distinct textural element. Making your own mayonnaise is a noble undertaking and I support you all the way, especially if you use it to dress a sous vide chicken salad. Mayonnaise is one of those foods that most people dont think too much about when they slather Read more Read. Make Better Dressing. Its a clich by now, but making your own dressing is the best way to start enjoying salad more. I make all of mine with an immersion blender. If you dont have one, a mason jar works wonderfully just be sure to finely mince any solid ingredients like garlic and herbs before adding them to the jar. The words to keep in mind when making salad dressing are intensity and balance. A good dressing isnt something you can happily slurp up by the spoonful it should be so aggressively seasoned that your mouth puckers a little when you taste it. Since I make very intense dressings, I always add something sweet to balance the salt and acidity. Here are three of my favorite recipes to get you started. Balsamic Vinaigrette. This is a total classic. It works equally well on a grain and roasted vegetable salad as it does on one with arugula, red onions, blue cheese, and thinly sliced rare steak. Ingredients cup balsamic vinegar cup vegetable or canola oil. Salt, plus more to taste. Honey, plus more to taste. Dijon mustard smooth1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed. Black pepper to taste. Combine everything except the pepper in a plastic soup container or any container with a mouth wide enough to accommodate the head of an immersion blender. Blend until very smooth, then taste and adjust seasoning if needed. When youre happy with the balance, add plenty of freshly cracked black pepper and stir to combine. It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week. Lemon Miso Vinaigrette. I like this dressing best on a salad with julienne d raw beets, a ton of chopped cilantro or parsley, and chicken breast. Ingredients cup freshly squeezed lemon juice cup vegetable or canola oil. Tb. miso paste. 2 tsp. Dijon mustard. Big pinch of salt. Pepper to taste. Combine everything except the salt and pepper in a plastic soup container and process with an immersion blender until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed you may or may not need extra salt depending on the miso paste you used. Add black pepper to taste and stir to combine. This one keeps in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. Ranch Adjacent Dressing. This dressing is the star of my summer 2. I mix shredded Napa cabbage with julienned carrots, celery, and serrano pepper, then top with pickled red onions and plenty of this stuff. Its fresh, crunchy, and addictive as hell. Ingredients cup mayonnaise cup full fat Greek yogurt sour cream is also good cup apple cider vinegar. Handful of cilantro leaves, chopped. Handful of parsley leaves, chopped. Combine everything except the scallions, cilantro, and parsley in a plastic soup container and process with an immersion blender until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning once youre happy with the base, add the scallions and blend until smooth. Add the chopped herbs last and pulse a few times to combine. This will keep in the refrigerator for 3 4 days. There have to be some folks out there who feel as passionately about salad as I do. I would like to hear about the best salad youve ever eaten, and what made it so great. For me, its a tie between a Hiyayakko I had at Biwa in Portland years ago I think they took it off the menu and its a shame and the radicchio salad at Toro Bravo, also in Portland. Portland has some really great salads. Healthy Dinner Recipies more.