Baking · Do-ahead · Nuts

Walnut and olive mini breads

February 11, 2013September 9, 2022 Belinda

These are irresistible!!

Makes about 45

For the Dough:

3+1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra if needed
Pinch of salt

2 & 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup corn or olive oil

4&1/2 oz unsalted butter, softened at room temperature (it should be really soft to touch)

2 tbsp apple cider or red wine vinegar

1 cup plain yoghurt

1 cup finely (but not too finely) chopped walnuts (you should feel the bite)

1 cup pitted sliced black olives (Kalamata)

To Glaze

1 egg yolk, beaten

Preheat the oven to 375 F . Lightly grease the bottom of a large baking sheet.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the oil, butter, vinegar and plain yoghurt. Stir to mix. Add the walnuts and olives and stir to combine.

In a medium bowl combine the flours, salt and baking powder. Stir to mix.Add the flour mixture to the walnut/olive mixture. if the dough is sticky, gradually add more flour and knead the dough until it is tender and pleasant to the touch but not too tight or sticky.

Taking a little at a time, shape into balls about the size of a big whole walnut.

Arrange the balls on the prepared baking sheet. Brush their tops with the beaten egg yolk.

Bake until golden, about 40 minutes.

Bring to room temperature before serving.

The inside of these mini breads should appear moist, it’s normal!

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Meat · Whole30 compliant

Sausages with oregano, mushrooms and olives

January 12, 2013September 9, 2022 Belinda

I am a self-confessed sausage freak and although this is really simple, it is packed with flavor

Serves 4

1lb your favorite sausages
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp dried oregano
3 garlic cloves, slices
400g can chopped tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
7 fl oz beef stock
4 oz pitted Kalamata olives
1lb mushrooms, thickly sliced

Using kitchen scissors, snip the sausages into meatball sized pieces.
Heat a large pan and fry the sausage pieces on medium low heat in the oil for about 5 – 10 mins until golden all over.

Add the oregano and garlic, fry for 1 minute more, then tip in the tomatoes, stock, olives and mushrooms.

Simmer for 15 minutes until the sausages are cooked through and the sauce has reduced a little.
Serve with mashed potatoes or pasta

Fish · Gluten Free · Whole30 compliant

Jamie’s traybaked salmon with olives, green beans, anchovies and tomatoes

August 2, 2012January 7, 2017 Belinda

This is so light and tangy as the anchovy melts over the vegetables, the cherry tomatoes provide sweetness and juice and the olives a little hit of pure joy

Serves 4

7 oz green beans
20 small cherry tomatoes
1 handful pitted black olives
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt
freshly grund black pepper
4 x 8oz thick fillets of wild salmon, with or without skin but definitely pin-boned
2 lemons
1 good handful fresh basil
12 anchovy fillets (the ones in oil)

Top and tail the green beans, blanch them until tender in salted boiling water and drain. Shock in a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking process then drain.
Put the beans in a bowl with the cherry tomatoes and the stones olives
Toss in the olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper
Give the salmon fillets a quick wash under the tap and pat dry using kitchen paper towels.
Squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon over the fillets, on both sides, then season both sides with salt and pepper and drizzle a little olive oil over the top.
Preheat the oven and a roasting tray at the highest temperature your oven goes to.
Put your 4 fillets at one end of the roasting tray.
Toss the basil into the green beans, olives and tomatoes and place this mixture at the other end of the tray.
Lay the anchovy fillets over the green beans
Roast in the preheated oven for 10 minutes then remove from the oven and serve with lemon quarters.
This is very tasty especially with some homemade mayonnaise or aioli.
A good cheat’s aioli is done by adding crushed garlic to a good brand of store bought mayonnaise, say the Helmanns or Kraft brand.

Accompaniments · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Whole30 compliant

Provencal oil cured olive tapenade

July 15, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

This is my very favorite tapenade as it’s made from oil cured Provence olives (if you can get them). It’s dark, rich and powerful tapenade and you need very little on a cracker or fish or chicken fillet. We always have some in our fridge as it has a great shelf life.
You can “play” with this recipe as far as how much lemon, garlic, anchovies you use. Some people add breadcrumbs, mustard or ground almonds for a different taste and consistency
If you can’t find the jars of black olives cured with Herbes de Provence (Vicente Foods supplies them, for my LA Westside friends) then you can use the brand “Cento” and add a little more fresh thyme. The Cento olives are even darker and oilier than the Provence ones.

1/2 lb oil -packed black olives, drained
6 well rinsed anchovy fillets
3 tbsp drained capers
1/2 heaped tsp minced fresh thyme
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 to 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 good sized cloves garlic, crushed

Break open the olives by pressing on them with the back of a wooden spoon, then remove the pits.
Put the olives, anchovies, capers, thyme and lemon juice in a food processor and blend until a paste is formed.
With the motor running, add the olive oil a little at a time until the paste is smooth but not oily.
Use the tapenade immediately or put it in a covered jar and store it in the refrigerator where it will keep for up to 3 months

Note; This is lovely wiped on top of a piece of fish, then grilled or baked, on crackers, on a fillet of chicken, in any sort of dish you’re cooking, in soups, with cheese……..

Appetizers · Do-ahead · Fish · Gluten Free

Tuna tapenade

June 10, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

This is one of Ina Garten’s recipes and is delicious as a quick starter to put over toasted crostini.
I beg you to use Italian tuna in olive oil, not American tuna, as it has twice the flavor.

Makes about 36 crostini full.

10 – 12 oz canned Italian tuna packed in olive oil
2 tsp anchovy paste
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
2 tbsp minced fresh flat leaf parsley, plus extra for garnish
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
2 large cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tsp)
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tbsp good olive oil (plus extra for brushing the bread slices)
1/3 cup Italian mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup pitted and chopped Kalamata olives
1 tbsp drained capers
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
36 slices French bread sliced diagonally

Drain all but 1 tbsp of the oil from the tuna then flake the fish into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade.
Add the anchovy paste, thyme, lemon zest, garlic and parsley and pulse a few times.
Add the lemon juice, 3 tbsp olive oil, and the mascarpone cheese and process until smooth.
Add the olives, capers, salt and pepper and pulse just to incorporate.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Meanwhile heat a grill or use a heavy ridged flat pan. Slice the French bread diagonally and brush with olive oil and put on the grill until lightly browned. You can also put the slices on a sheet pan and roast at 400 F for about 6 minutes or until toasted.
Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
Mound the tapenade on the toast pieces and sprinkle with the extra chopped parsley and serve on a large platter.

Do-ahead · Poultry · Whole30 compliant

Greek chicken with olives and lemons. (Kotopoulo Lemonato)

May 25, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

This is one of the best recipes I think I’ve ever tried because it’s packed with flavor, is easy and is fairly quick.

There are two parts to it, however. The lemons have to be made ahead of time, but you can keep them in a glass jar for weeks and weeks, but the minimum time is 3 days that is the only thing you have to know before you start.

Here is the lemon part of it first, because these lemons are incredible and they are the shortcut way of making preserved lemons without any salt, just olive oil and cloves. When you make this, try to treble the lemon recipe and do it with 3 lemons, then you have two marinating in your pantry waiting for another occasion!

1 large lemon. (make sure the lemon’s skins aren’t too think as they can get bitter)
6 cloves
Extra virgin olive oil to cover the lemon

Place the lemon in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. (Turn the lemons occasionally while cooking, so they get all sides covered.)

Remove from the water and pat dry gently with kitchen towels. Press the cloves gently into the lemon and place in a glass or sturdy plastic container. Cover with the olive oil, seal well with a lid and leave to marinate at room temperature for a minimum of 3 days.
When ready to use for the chicken dish, remove the cloves from the lemon and discard the cloves. Cut the lemon into 8 wedges, retaining all the lemon and juices and use with the following recipe!!
Easy isn’t it!

Chicken with olives and Lemons (Kotopoulo Lemonato) serves 4

The preserved lemon (see above)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
8 large boneless, skinless chicken thighs, preferably organic
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
6 large shallots, sliced
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1 cup good chicken, turkey or veal stock
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

Heat the 1 tbsp oil and butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat.
Sprinkle the chicken thighs with the salt and pepper on both sides and add to the skillet in 2 batches and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Add the sliced shallots to the pan and cook until golden, about 5 – 8 minutes.
Return the chicken to the pan and stir in the drained olives, and stock. Bring to the boil over medium heat then reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes.
Add the lemon wedges and any juices and the chopped thyme and simmer , stirring occasionally for another 15 minutes.
Place the chicken in a deep serving dish and spoon the sauce over.
garnish with fresh thyme sprigs and serve with crusty bread and a salad.

Note

This is also lovely served with a rice pilaf made with chopped sauteed leeks, dried dill weed and chicken broth.
Garlic mashed potato is another lovely side dish, so long as you have something that can soak up all those gorgeous juices, that is all that matters!
Heavens, maybe even orzo or a pasta might work. Let me know!!
All my recipes are a work in progress and there is no such thing as the “finished product.
It’s all about tweaking and sharing!

Gluten Free

Zucchini and black olive rice pilaf

October 6, 2011October 19, 2021 Belinda

This is a really lovely pilaf and also very easy to make.

2 medium zucchini
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp minced yellow onions
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup long grain white rice
1/4 cup (at least) pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp salt

Grate the zucchini on the large holes of a handheld grater. Squeeze out some of the juice from the zucchini.
In a saucepan, melt the butter with the oil over medium-low heat. When the butter melts, add the onion and ground pepper and saute until the onion is translucent, 2 – 3 minutes.
Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until opaque and coated with the butter and oil, 3 -4 minutes longer.
Add the chopped olives, cilantro and zucchini and cook, stirring for about 30 seconds to blend the ingredients together.
Pour in the broth, add the salt, raise the heat to medium high and bring to the boil.
Cover and reduce the heat to low and cook until the rice is tender and has absorbed all of the broth, about 20 minutes.
Remove from the heat and let rest, covered for about 5 minutes.
Then fluff with a fork and serve,

Do-ahead · Nuts · Pasta · Sauces · Vegetarian pasta

Pesto a la Arriabiata sauce

August 23, 2011September 9, 2022 Belinda

We are going out for dinner tonight to some vegetarian friends and I didn’t just want to take wine, so was wondering what I could make with whatever I had in the house that only took 30 minutes.
Looking outside on the table, I noticed the three full basil plants we bought at Trader Joes.
“Ahh, pesto sauce”, I thought, “but how could I make it different”?

My husband came into the kitchen while I was throwing stuff into the processor and after I made it, pronounced it “lovely” so that was the seal I needed.

1 whole (full-leaved) Trader Joes basil plant stripped completely and the leaves washed and spun in the salad spinner.
5 cloves garlic
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmegiano Reggiano cheese
1/4 tsp dried red chilli flakes
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp drained capers
1/2 heaped cup pitted kalamata olives
6 sun dried tomatoes (in oil)
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 lemon, juice only

(cream added can make it more luxurious!)

Start by putting all the basil into a food processor and turn it on. Through the tube in the top, put the garlic, chilli flakes, olive oil, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, capers,sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts, lemon juice, olives and anything else you may have forgotten.
Puree for a few minutes, then taste and add more seasoning if it needs it.
Pour into a lovely glass jar with a lid and you have a great pasta sauce, or a base for crunchy, toasted bruschetta, or a base for many seafood dishes. It’s lovely as a dip for grilled shrimp, a coating on a piece of white fish, or even added to a soup as a dollop in the middle of the bowl just as you serve it, as in “pistou”.

There are endless ways to use it and it lasts a long time, including freezes well.
The Trader Joes basil plants are the most economical way to make pesto based sauces if you don’t grow basil. Unforunately we are having a battle with the garden snails and they claimed this year’s basil!