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Olive


DanCole42

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So... those olives you get in the olive bar of your local mega mart by the pound...

How long do they last in the fridge?

If they're covered in brine, you should be able to refrigerate them for at least 4-6 weeks. If not, they'll begin to soften considerably and have an off-taste in fairly short order.
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If they're covered in brine, you should be able to refrigerate them for at least 4-6 weeks. If not, they'll begin to soften considerably and have an off-taste in fairly short order.
I figured covering in brine was important. Then why at the store do they make you scoop them with slotted spoons? :blink:
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The best part of buying black olives in a can is that most times, even after quadrupling the quantity needed in the recipe, you have plenty for eating while you cook.

Talk amongst yourselves.

Any olive that is not a garlic and oil-cured Niçoise olive is not really a serious olive. TAY.

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Any olive that is not a garlic and oil-cured Niçoise olive is not really a serious olive. TAY.

That's like me claiming that anything not brewed in accordance with the Reinheitsgebot is not a beer. I also still occasionally enjoy a PBR or two and I don't think I should feel guilty about that.

Crappy olives still have a place (in my belly :mellow:)

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That's like me claiming that anything not brewed in accordance with the Reinheitsgebot is not a beer. I also still occasionally enjoy a PBR or two and I don't think I should feel guilty about that.

Crappy olives still have a place (in my belly :mellow:)

Na na na na, my friend. Olives, like many things, can have soul. Giant Brand "Ripe Green Olives" have no soul.

New thread: What are crappy olives good for?

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Any olive that is not a garlic and oil-cured Niçoise olive is not really a serious olive. TAY.

I like my olives frivolous. Mediterranean Bakery in Alexandria and Aphrodite in Bailey's Crossroads are good places to experiment with the wide world of olives--both have extensive selections and prices significantly below Wegman's otherwise attractive olive bar.

The one thing that canned black Lindsay olives have going for them is that they make superior caps for juvenile fingertips when you decide to play 5 on 5 olive finger football.

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Any olive that is not a garlic and oil-cured Niçoise olive is not really a serious olive. TAY.

That's a great olive, but too frou-frou (and I don't particularly like uberripe black olives).

Real Men Eat Arbequinas And Good Kalamatas (Meaning Not Those Crappy De-Pitted Ones From The Salad Bar) :mellow:

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Real Men Eat Arbequinas And Good Kalamatas (Meaning Not Those Crappy De-Pitted Ones From The Salad Bar) :mellow:

Tsk, tsk, tsk. The penny-pinching gourmet, when paying by the pound and all the choices are the same price, chooses the varieties without pits!! In the meat case, you pay more for boneless meat, but not at the olive bar. Apparently, the labor involved in removing the pits, and the increased numbers of olives-per-pound in the pit-free category do not figure in the retail price. Having the olives already pitted makes a difference to those of us who are not terribly systematic about prepping a mise-en-place. So when we are throwing together a pasta sauce or a lentil salad at the last minute, and we go: "Ack! I forgot the olives!" It's no big deal, if the olives are already without pits--quick chop or throw them in whole. If they have pits in them that must be dealt with, they will more often be--"Nah, I'll just leave them out this time." :)

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Problem with those deli bar olives isn't the lack of pits but the "Lye" curing that removes most of the flavour (and they usually are pit free)

I'd be surprised if the pitted kalamatas sold in jars at Trader Joe's or available in the olive bar at Whole Foods and Wegman's are lye-cured olives.

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Tsk, tsk, tsk. The penny-pinching gourmet, when paying by the pound and all the choices are the same price, chooses the varieties without pits!! In the meat case, you pay more for boneless meat, but not at the olive bar. Apparently, the labor involved in removing the pits, and the increased numbers of olives-per-pound in the pit-free category do not figure in the retail price. Having the olives already pitted makes a difference to those of us who are not terribly systematic about prepping a mise-en-place. So when we are throwing together a pasta sauce or a lentil salad at the last minute, and we go: "Ack! I forgot the olives!" It's no big deal, if the olives are already without pits--quick chop or throw them in whole. If they have pits in them that must be dealt with, they will more often be--"Nah, I'll just leave them out this time." :mellow:

Pitting olives is what you use your cherry pitter for in winter...

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I'd be surprised if the pitted kalamatas sold in jars at Trader Joe's or available in the olive bar at Whole Foods and Wegman's are lye-cured olives.
I agree and that was my point: it's not the pitting that is the problem it's the curing. I use the oil cured pitted olives from WF all the time. Beats self-pitting any day!
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I'd be surprised if any readily-available kalamatas are lye-cured. It's nominally a black olive, and the lye process is supposedly only applied to green olives. Besides, the Greek process is to salt cure them, followed by a red-wine vinegar brine. Fruit selection seems to be the difference between a great, flavorful kalamata and one that's too mushy, too meaty, or tastes too bland and dominated by its brine.

As for the pitting, I think it just lets the loose ones get a bit too bruised. Personal preference.

BTW, the yuck-face scene in Under the Tuscan Sun where Frances bites into a raw olive fresh off the tree...is more-or-less dead on.

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Mediterranean Bakery in Alexandria...good places to experiment with the wide world of olives- extensive selections and prices significantly below Wegman's otherwise attractive olive bar.
Agreed - the really spicy ones are good - even though they always try to steer me away from them. I also like the Provencal(?) blend. Where is Aphrodite? Might have to go check it out during lunch...

My very favorite olive is the lovely, large, and meaty green Cerignola - Yum!

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I love marinating my own olives, but I've come up empty-handed trying to find unmarinated, unpitted olives that I can marinate on my own. Any sources? (I live on Capitol Hill but don't mind hitting up DC-area markets, including near-in surburbs...)

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I love marinating my own olives, but I've come up empty-handed trying to find unmarinated, unpitted olives that I can marinate on my own. Any sources? (I live on Capitol Hill but don't mind hitting up DC-area markets, including near-in surburbs...)

In town--Shemali's on New Mexico Avenue (stop in and see Joe Riley at Ace Beverages if you go--except on Wednesday, his day off).

Check Julia Watson's website: www.eatwashington.com. It's a great resource for where to find ethnic ingredients in the area.

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The best part of buying black olives in a can is that most times, even after quadrupling the quantity needed in the recipe, you have plenty for eating while you cook.

Talk amongst yourselves.

I completely agree. I adore olives, especially black olives. My favorite are black cerignola olives ( you can get them at Dean & De Luca or Whole Foods). I also like kalamata and California black olives in a can. Am trying to broaden my horizons w/ green olives. The green cerignola olives are buttery and flavorful. I also like Spanish green olives sans pimentos.

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The best part of buying black olives in a can is that most times, even after quadrupling the quantity needed in the recipe, you have plenty for eating while you cook.

Talk amongst yourselves.

Of course, they must be placed on ones fingertips before eating. It is the only way to eat a delicacy.
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