I discovered this morning that the olive paste has gone mouldy...it must have been there for ages... I have never been crazy about stuff-in-a-jar victuals, but we all know that we sometimes do not think straight in the supermarket! I discarded the black paste and, while washing the small jar (kept it as it looks chic), I decided to make my own olive paste! As I glanced at the wet label, I was kind of taken aback: so many preservatives???
I opened the fridge, brought to light the box of black olives I bought yesterday from the shop and made my own.
Type of cuisine: Mediterranean
Difficulty: the easiest thing in the world
Time: 2 minutes
It's a simple, basic recipe, really, all you need is olives, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Just blend the stoned olives with 2-3 spoons of olive oil and one spoon of balsamic vinegar and there you go, you'll have the most delicious, organic, chemical compound-free black olive puree, ready to serve with fresh ciabatta.
To say that I love olives is an understatement. The beauty and the timelessness of the olive tree have always gripped me.
“He will thrust away his unripe grapes just like a vine, and cast off his blossoms just like an olive tree.” (from the Bible, the book of Job 15/33)
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| olive tree branch at Chateau d'Estoublon Mogador |
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| detail of vintage olive oil press |
Olive oil, a staple in Mediterranean cuisines, has found its way into beauty products, so when I visited Chateau d'Estoublon Mogador in Provence, I was not surprised to discover that pure virgin oil was sold in expensive bottles which reminded me of the elegance of Chanel No. 5. A wonderful merge- a pleasure for the eyes and a culinary relish. Even the beauty of the Mausanne Alpilles area is overshadowed by the symmetry of this fairy-tale chateau-boutique where even your dreams come true.
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| source: estoublon.com |
Sometimes I go back through my holiday snapshots and sigh... This is certainly a remarkable place that I want to go back to. You can check it out on www.estoublon.com to read about olive harvesting, olive selection, the variety of olive oils & olive fruits.
Another article that has caught my eye on a blog I follow is An Education in Olive Oil where you can find out some amazing facts about olive oil tasting.
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