Broken Green Syrian olives
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| photo by Eyal Warshavsky |
I just love olives,
especially green Syrian broken olives cured with salt, garlic and lemon. It
takes a minimum of about three weeks from the time I close the jar until I
start eating them, and some will say they are still too bitter at that point. But
I love that bitter salty taste, with a hint of hot pepper.
October and November are olive harvest time. Right
after the first rain, I used to take Shira to the tree that grew under my
grandmother’s home in Jerusalem and pick olives off the tree. Then we would
crack each one with a rock or just use a knife to make a small incision.
Once at home, the olives go
in a bowl with fresh water for about three days, changing the water every day.
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| photo by Eyal Warshavsky |
On the fourth day I take a
clean jar and put the olives in it for
two kilos of olives I use six to eight garlic
cloves , one medium sliced lemon, and two or three chile peppers.
Then I prepare a solution of
water and salt. Here I use a fresh egg as
my measure: after mixing the solution in a bowl or pitcher, I place an egg in
the water. If the egg remains roughly in the middle – not floating to the
surface, but not sinking – I’ve got the right amount of salt for the process.
Once the solution is balanced, I pour it on the olives, and top it off with
some olive oil to prevent contact with air. Then I close the jar tightly, and
wait.
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| photo by Eyal Warshavsky |
After about three weeks I
start tasting. Since I do not make more than three kilos of olives, after two months I run out , and I go back to
buying my olives in the market, and wait for next year’s olive harvest.
Do try this at home!!!!
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