Sumptuous Olives

Olives! 

People associate olives with pickles, but it can also be used to make other delicious preparations. Olives are classified into three groups according to the ripeness of the harvest and one needs to use the right type to get the right flavour and tangy taste. 

Green olives

Picked when they obtain full size, but before the ripening cycle has begun. At this stage the fruit will be between the shades of green to yellowish-green.

SEMI-RIPE OR TURNING-COLOUR OLIVES

Picked at the beginning of the ripening cycle, when the colour has begun to change from green to shades of red to brown.

Black olives

Picked after maturity and when fully ripe, these are found in assorted shades of purple to brown to black.

Olive kofta

Kofta belongs to the family of meatball or meatloaf dishes found in South Asian, Middle Eastern, Balkan and Central Asian cuisine. Kofta is usually made from lamb, beef, mutton or chicken, but can also be prepared using fish or vegetables; this is especially true in Bangladesh and India. 

Koftas can be grilled, fried, steamed or baked. They are usually cooked in a spicy gravy and eaten with boiled rice or variety of breads. Dry variations of koftas are considered to be kebabs, widely found in South India, West Bengal, and Bangladesh. 

Ingredients 

½ kg ground beef, 5 pitted olives

2 onions, quartered, 2 clove garlics, peeled

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

1 tbsp ground cumin

½ tsp freshly ground pepper

1 tbsp lemon juice

Oil for fry

Salt to taste

Method

Place beef and lemon juice in a large bowl, gently combine until incorporated. Leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Transfer the meat to a colander and press to squeeze out excess moisture. Place onion, garlic and olives in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add to the marinated meat along with oil, cilantro, mint, cumin, salt and pepper. 

Gently combine until evenly incorporated. Divide beef mixture into 12 equal portions and give each portion in a round shaped ball. Take one ball and flatten it by pressing it between palms and make 1/3 inch thick patties. Heat oil in a pan. Shallow fry the patties until brown and cooked through 8 to 10 minutes on low heat. Serve hot.

Olive chicken

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, cut into pieces

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 onions, chopped

1 tbsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

½ tsp black pepper

1tsp paprika

5 pitted green olive

½ lemon juice

Salt to taste



Method

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion, ginger-garlic paste and paprika. Sauté till the onions turn golden. Place the chicken pieces over the onions. Add water, lemon juice, salt, black pepper and olives. Cover the skillet and cook for about 20 minutes or till the chicken turns tender. Once done, serve hot with rice or roti.

Machher tock jhol (fish with olive)

Ingredients

250g small fish, like tangra or puti

5 olives, cut into pieces

2 tbsp onion paste

¼ tsp garlic paste

¼ tsp cumin paste

1 tsp the red chilli paste

½ tsp turmeric paste

1 tbsp coriander leaves

2 tbsp oil

Salt to taste



Method

Cut and wash the fish. Heat oil in a pan. Put onion and garlic paste in to it and fry until brown. Now add other spices with a little amount of water. Cook for few minutes. When the oil separates from the spices add fish, add olives and 2 cups of water. Cook for 10 minutes on medium heat. When the gravy is reduced to half, remove from heat. Garnish with coriander leaves, and serve.

Jolpai dal (olive with red lentil)

Jolpai daal or tok dal is a common in Bengali kitchens. It is a simple combination of green olives which are plentiful during this time of the year and lentils with very light seasoning for flavour. Yellow mung and red lentils are commonly used in Bengal to make this dish.

Ingredients

1 cup red lentil

4 olives (cut into pieces)

1 tbsp oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds

¼ tsp turmeric powder

2 dried red chilli, deseeded, Salt to taste

½ tsp of sugar, just to balance the sourness of olive (optional)

Method

Boil red lentils with 2 cups of water and a pinch of turmeric powder in a pan. Cook the red lentils until tender. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and dried deseeded red chilli. As they stop spluttering, add the olive pieces. Add a little salt. Cover and cook till the olive pieces are half cooked. Add the boiled lentils. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Taste the seasoning, and add sugar. Remove from heat. Serve with plain rice.

Spicy whole olive pickle

Tangy pickles or tantalising chutneys can make even the dullest of dull meals full of fun. Preserving helps strengthen the flavours and aromas of the ingredients so you get most of it in each spoonful and each bite. Pickles and chutneys are the secrets to a good well rounded meal.

Ingredients

20 large olives

20 cloves of garlic

1 tbsp ginger paste

1 tbsp mustard seeds powder

1 tsp whole mustard seeds

1 tbsp 'paanch phoron' (five spice) powder

1 tsp whole 'panch foron' (five spice)

5 whole red chilli, powdered

1 tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp cumin powder, ½ cup vinegar

2 tbsp sugar

1 cup mustard oil, Salt to taste

Method

Boil the olives until half tender. Remove from heat and drain the water. Put all spice powder to a bowl and make a paste with little vinegar. Add olive and mix well. Keep it aside for 15 minutes. Heat oil in a pan. Add whole mustard seeds, whole five spice and whole red chilli. Sauté it for a few minutes, and add whole garlic cloves, ginger paste and salt, stir well. Then add olive mixture, sugar, vinegar and stir. Cover the pan with a  lid and cook for 15 minutes on low heat. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat, let it cool, and store in an airtight jar.

Tip 

To store for long time, keep your pickle under the sun occasionally.   

Health facts

Olives eliminate excess cholesterol in the blood and control blood pressure.

Olives are a great source of vitamin E and dietary fibre as an alternative to fruits and vegetables.

Olives act as an antioxidant, protecting cells, and are a great protection against anaemia. 

Olives protect cell membranes against diseases like cancer and provide essential vitamins and amino acids.

Just one cup of olives is a great source of iron (approximately 4.4mg).

Photo: Collected

Keep your eye on The Daily Star website for an exclusive Poush Sankranti recipe by Salina Parvin.