ZEEA INC

Question #1: How can I pit an olive at home? Answer: There are two methods to stone (or pit) an olive, with a tool or without.., With a tool, you will require an olive (or cherry) stoner, also known as a chasse noyer. It looks a bit like a leather puncher and works in a similar way. Place the base of the olive on the base of the stoner, so that the plunger sits over the olive’s top end. Press firmly and the stone will be ejected. Without a tool, you will need to stone the olive by hand. Luckily, many olives – especially black olives, are easy to stone manually. Using a sharp knife, simply cut the flesh from top to bottom, making sure you cut deep enough to reach the stone. Then, push the flesh back and ease the stone out. You might also want to stuff your olives after stoning them. Stuffed olives make attractive garnishes, particularly pimiento-stuffed olives, since the red and green contrast nicely. There are many different ways to stuff an olive below are some handy stuffing ideas. Green olives with pimiento - the deep red pepper contrasts beautifully with the green of the olive, while the flavour is mild but distinctive. Green olives with almonds - the almond adds an intriguing and pleasant crunchy texture. Green olives with onion? Green olives with garlic - a good cocktail olive, with a distinct flavour. Green olives with anchovies- a quite delicious, salty olive. Green olives with capers - unusual and worth looking out for in delicatessens. Green olives with orange or lemon peel - the citrus peel adds a distinct and contrasting flavour to the olives. Question #2: Is it easy to use olives for food decoration? The beauty of olives isn’t limited to their taste. World-renowned chefs always garnish dishes with olives – primarily because they look great and taste great!
The next time you’re entertaining, take a handful of olives, cut them, horizontally, into thin slices and use your creations to accentuate fresh salmon, tuna dishes or salads. They also look add flare when set into savory mousses. And, without a doubt, they’ll make a great topping for various meat or fish pates. PRESERVING OLIVES If you buy too many olives and do not use them all at once, or if you simply want to refresh some canned or bottled olives, here are a few simple but delicious recipes which can't fail to liven up a jaded palette.
GARLIC OLIVES Drain a jar of green olives in brine, keeping half the brine. Pack the jar with the olives, 2 crushed garlic cloves and a pinch of oregano. Mix the brine with enough olive oil and white wine vinegar to fill the jar and pour over the olives. Leave for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator.
	CRACKED GREEN OLIVES Cut a cross at the top and bottom of 450g/ 1 lb. green olives, cutting right through to the stone. Place a layer of olives in the bottom of one large, or several smaller jars, and sprinkle with 15ml/1 tbs. coriander seeds. Add a garlic clove and 10ml/2 tsp. oregano and continue making layers, leaving a good 2.5cm/1in at the top of the jar. Fill with olive oil, cover tightly and leave to marinate for at least 2-3 weeks.
MARINATED Mix 450g/1 lb. black olives with 30ml/2 tbs. red wine vinegar, I garlic clove, I or 2 whole red chillies or a pinch of chilli powder and 3-4 slices of lemon. Turn into a large jar or several smaller jars and add sufficient olive oil to cover the olives. Cover tightly and leave for 2-3 weeks at room temperature. Eat on their own, or add to casseroles or salads.