therealdesign

I think the American black olive is one of the greatest edible pleasures around. It used to be a real treat as a kid when we would have a bowl of black olives at thanksgiving dinner. Today, I open up a can of olives and munch on them as I prepare dinner. California olives are harvested in the fall as they approach maturity. When picked, they are green in color, bitter, and almost inedible. Olives, no matter what type, are almost always cured in some way. Domestic olives are processed in a soda curing solution, which over time removes the bitter taste. The brine has tiny oxygen bubbles that float throughout the solution and make the olives turn from olive green to black. The olives are then rinsed and packaged in a light brine which helps keep a long shelf life of 2-3 years when unopened. When you open up a can of olives and if you don’t finish them, which I can hardly imagine anyone doing, try to keep them in the can refrigerated with some brine lightly covered with plastic wrap. Never store them in an airtight container void of the packing liquid or harmful toxins may develop. As tasty as these bad boys are, they are not without fault. Each large black pitted olive weighs almost 4 grams and contains about 1/2 gram of fat each one. So when I throw down half a can down in about five minutes, I am ingesting plenty of fat and sodium. We prefer one of two brands.. Lindsay, a high quality consistent brand although expensive, and stop and shop’s own pack. A cheaper brand may have a waxy texture with a canned aftertaste.

I grew up loving figs. My Sicilian born grandfather had fig trees in his back yard, and my grandmother used to harvest the fruit midsummer and make fig puree to later use when baking fig cookies every Christmas. Today, figs are becoming more popular and used in a variety of ways.

Fresh figs tossed with blue cheese and caramelized onions make for a great California style pizza, especially when drizzled with a little bit of brown butter. It's sweet, creamy, crusty and delicious, I'm a big lover of figs and goat cheese, and this makes for a great appetizer. Simply cover a thin slice of toasted baguette with diced fresh purple figs topped with crumble goat cheese and candied walnuts, place three of these fig bruschettas on a nest of fresh argulala for a great trendy $7 appetizer. For a mid-priced entrée, sear two center cut pork chops topped with flash grilled fig halves and roasted shallots drizzled with a reduced madeira wine.