Sicilian Seasoned Cracked Green Olives
Sicilian cracked green olives or olive schiacciate are seasoned with garlic, fennel seeds, oregano and pepperoncino. They flavorful olives are traditionally prepared each autumn and enjoyed as antipasto.
Servings 1 454 gram (1 lb) batch
Calories 1153kcal
Ingredients
- 454 grams raw green olives 1 lb.
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- pepperoncino (red pepper flakes) according to your taste
- 2-3 teaspoon salt
- 1-2 cloves of garlic crushed
- 1 teaspoon dry oregano
- 2 tbsp. white vinegar optional
Instructions
- *Please note that the seasoning for this recipe is for 1 lb. (454 grams) of olives. For larger batches simply multiply the seasoning ingredients accordingly.
Crack the olives
- Rinse the olives and dry them. Place each olive on a flat surface, cover with an old dish towel and use a meat mallet, flat stone or bottom of a glass to crack the olive in one swift, decisive movement. The olive should split in half and the pit easily removeable.
- Refrain from pounding each olive several times. You will end up with many oddly shaped bits of olive!
- Place the cracked olives in a bowl and cover with water as you continue with the remaining olives in order to prevent them from turning brown.
- Once all the olives are cracked, place them in a large container and cover with water.
- The olives should not be crammed together and should have sufficient water. I placed mine (I prepared a total of 8 lbs.) in a large stock pot and covered with about 10 liters of water.
- Place a plate over the top of the olives in order to keep them submerged. Place the olives on your countertop and proceed to change the water once a day.
Season the olives
- On the 7th day, taste an olive to see whether the flavor is bitter. If so, change the water and continue soaking them for as long as necessary for the bitterness to go away. This may take an extra day or two and can vary with the type, size of olives and so on. Taste an olive each day to determine whether they are ready to be seasoned.
- When the olives are no longer bitter, drain, rinse and dry the olives well before seasoning. Squeeze the water with your hands and place on a large table cloth to dry completely.
- Place the olives in a bowl and add crushed garlic, fennel seeds, pepperoncino; oregano; olive and salt. Toss and taste, adjust seasoning as desired.
- If you prefer a slightly acidic flavor, at this point you may also stir in a tbsp. or two of white vinegar.
- Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours in order to allow the flavors to mingle before serving.
- Keep leftovers refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Substitutions and Variations
-Other possible add-in ingredients include chopped celery or carrots.
-Herbs: a few sprigs of parsley and/or bay leaves may be added.
-White vinegar: is optional when seasoning. If you like a hint of acidity you may stir in a tbsp. or two but it is not required. Can the water be changed more than 1 x day? The water may be changed twice a day and that will speed up the process of removing the bitter flavor from the olives. Begin tasting the olives after 4 days if you choose this method. Storage Keep seasoned olives stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. To Freeze -If you are preparing a large quantity of olives that will not be easily consumed within 2 weeks of seasoning them, you may opt to freeze the olives (before they are seasoned) in small batches in freezer bags. I froze mine in 1 lb. quantities.
-Defrost, then season and serve.
-They keep well frozen for up to one year. Can these olives be stored in jars? My family has never stored their olives in jars. Although I have not tested this method myself and can not guarantee the results, several acquaintances have shared that they pack their seasoned olives in a jar, cover them in olive oil until they are completely submerged and store in a dark cool place.
-Herbs: a few sprigs of parsley and/or bay leaves may be added.
-White vinegar: is optional when seasoning. If you like a hint of acidity you may stir in a tbsp. or two but it is not required. Can the water be changed more than 1 x day? The water may be changed twice a day and that will speed up the process of removing the bitter flavor from the olives. Begin tasting the olives after 4 days if you choose this method. Storage Keep seasoned olives stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. To Freeze -If you are preparing a large quantity of olives that will not be easily consumed within 2 weeks of seasoning them, you may opt to freeze the olives (before they are seasoned) in small batches in freezer bags. I froze mine in 1 lb. quantities.
-Defrost, then season and serve.
-They keep well frozen for up to one year. Can these olives be stored in jars? My family has never stored their olives in jars. Although I have not tested this method myself and can not guarantee the results, several acquaintances have shared that they pack their seasoned olives in a jar, cover them in olive oil until they are completely submerged and store in a dark cool place.
Nutrition
Calories: 1153kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 124g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Monounsaturated Fat: 91g | Sodium: 11737mg | Potassium: 252mg | Fiber: 17g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1821IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 297mg | Iron: 4mg
