Cape Town - Take a drive through the Cape Winelands today, and you will find the silvery leaves of olive orchards alternating with verdant vineyards everywhere. While our olive industry is tiny compared to that of the Mediterranean countries, we now have more than 120 producers in SA, and – more importantly – we are producing both oil and table olives of a high standard.
Our industry started in Paarl about 80 years ago, and the Boland is still a major production area. Small artisanal growers sell their oil and olives from farms and farmstalls while large operations – think Costa and Morgenster – supply supermarkets across the country and beyond.
The Breede valley is home to several well-known producers like Olyfberg and Willow Creek, while other regions, such as Porterville, are also coming onstream. This is where Olive Pride is situated.
Olive Pride is producing both extra-virgin olive oil and a blend of olive oil with canola, sunflower and corn oils, which is particularly suitable for frying and baking. They also package both black and green olives, some of which starred in a lunch menu presented at the SA Chefs’ Academy in Observatory.
Home cooks who enjoy preserving and possess a little patience should try curing their own olives – look out for freshly harvested olives between March and May next year from farmstalls.
We have been processing our black Mission olives for some years now, using the Greek method, which involves the least work and produces successful results.
We simply soak our crop for a couple of days in cold water, then transfer them to a brine solution and leave them in large buckets, covered, for 4-5 months.
We change the brine once or twice. When the olives are tender and all bitterness has gone, we rinse them well and bottle them in fresh brine, plus a little olive oil and wine vinegar. I add a bay leaf, rosemary sprig and chilli to each bottle.
Olives are used as snacks, on pizzas and in Greek and Med salads. They add piquant flavour to salsas, poultry and meat dishes, as well as focaccia and country loaves.
Sicilian cauliflower and black olive salad
This recipe comes from Nigella Lawson’s just released Italian cookbook Nigellissima published by Chatto & Windus.
Moorish flavours abound, and this is best served at room temperature or lukewarm on a cold day.
If you prefer your cauli less crunchy, increase cooking time by a couple of minutes. If you haven’t got saffron, use a pinch of turmeric. Slivered almonds can replace the pricey pine nuts.
1 blemish-free cauliflower
Salt
2 bay leaves
Half tsp saffron threads
60ml (4T) recently boiled water
75g sultanas
75ml (5T) marsala
1 shallot or small mild onion, finely chopped
1T lemon juice
4T extra-virgin olive oil
150g pitted black olives
25g pine nuts, toasted
Small bunch fresh parsley leaves, chopped
Break the cauliflower into florets, cover with cold water, add salt and bay leaves, bring to the boil. Drain immediately, discarding bay leaves. Hold colander under a cold tap for a moment. Cauliflower will still be warm.
Place saffron in a small bowl and pour over the recently boiled water and leave to steep.
Combine sultanas with the marsala in small pan and bring to the boil, remove from heat.
Add the shallot to the saffron water, whisk in the lemon juice and add the olive oil. Add the sultanas to the cauliflower, then pour over dressing. Toss to combine and season. Toast pine nuts until golden in a frying pan, and toss most of them with the parsley through the salad, and sprinkle remaining nuts and parsley over the top. Serves 4-6.
Potato, chorizo and green olive starter
This was the first course served to guests at the Olive Pride luncheon held at SA Chefs Academy recently.
Basil pesto:
20g basil leaves
50ml extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
10g almonds
1 potato
500ml chicken stock
100g chorizo
Olive pride blended seed oil
Green olives, sliced and pitted
Garnish:
Deep-fried sage leaves
First, make the pesto.
Combine basil leaves, garlic, olive oil and almonds in a bowl, pulse with stick blender until combined. Thin with more olive oil if needed, season to taste.
Peel and cut the potato into blocks. Cook in the chicken stock until soft.
Slice the chorizo and heat in a little oil. Deep-fry the sage leaves until crisp.
Arrange potato and chorizo on plates and drizzle pesto dressing.
Scatter around sliced olives and garnish with sage.
Tapenade
This robust paste defines the flavour of the Mediterranean. I was given this recipe many years ago by Tish Simpson who used to serve tapenade with olive bread as a dip at her guest house at Verlorenvlei. If using olives from a jar, use about 300g drained and pitted. Tapenade will keep, covered, in the fridge for weeks.
1x400g can black olives, drained and pitted
3T capers, drained
2T chopped anchovies
Freshly ground black pepper
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
2tsp mixed mustard
1 capful brandy
Two-thirds cup (160ml) olive oil
Combine first 6 ingredients and work to a paste. Blend in processor until combined but not smooth. Stir in brandy and olive oil.
Cheese onion and green olive tart
This comes from a new book Scrumptious by local food blogger Jane-Anne Hobbs, published by Struik Lifestyle. She says it’s an old recipe and firm favourite that makes a side dish or starter, or quantities can be doubled to make two tarts for a main course.
Pastry:
250g cake flour
Pinch salt
150g cold butter, cubed
2 egg yolks
Iced water
Filling:
4 extra-large free-range eggs, whisked
450g cheddar cheese, grated
1 onion, peeled and finely grated
Half cup (125) milk
Half cup (125ml) cream
3T finely chopped fresh parsley
3T finely chopped fresh thyme
Salt and milled black pepper
12 pimento-stuffed green olives
2tsp poppy seeds
Heat oven to 180°C.
Make the pastry: sift the flour and salt into a bowl and add the butter. Using fingertips, rub butter into the flour until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Or blitz the mixture in a food processor. Add the egg yolks and enough iced water to form a light, crumbly dough.
Pat into a circle, wrap in clingfilm and leave in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Roll out and use to line a greased 23cm flan dish. Prick the base of the pastry shell and bake blind.
For the filling: whisk the eggs, stir in the cheese, onion, milk, cream and herbs and season. Tip the filling into the pastry shell. Halve the olives and press into the surface of the taste. Sprinkle with poppy seeds and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until puffed and lightly browned, but with a slight wobble in the middle. Serve warm with a green salad. - Cape Argus