We are used to the taste of marinated olives, but there are other ways in which they can be processed and still be delicious. For example, drying olives is one of the easiest ways to prepare this otherwise extremely bitter fruit.
The taste after drying is almost identical to that of the juicy black olives you buy from the store. Unlike ordinary olives, dried olives are usually served without having been marinated beforehand.
To dry olives, you need the following products - one kilogram of small ripe dried olives, half a kilogram of salt and one tablespoon of cold pressed olive oil.
Choose fully ripe small olives. Clean them very thoroughly from their stems and leaves. Rinse them well and then let them drain very well in a colander. Using the tip of a knife, make one or two small holes in each olive. Put a quarter of the salt on the bottom of a large glass jar or ceramic dish and then add a row of olives.
Sprinkle the fruit with salt, then put a new layer of olives, salt and so on, until the products run out. Close the jar and leave it at room temperature. Shake it well every day and cover it with salt, if necessary.
The bitter juices of the olives will begin to come out. They will mix with the salt and turn into a moist paste. If the juices are liquid, strain the liquid and add salt again as described above.
After about three weeks, rinse the salt and taste the olives. If they still taste too bitter, season them with salt again and leave them salted for another week. Otherwise, your dried olives are ready to eat. All you have to do is pour cold pressed olive oil over them.
The finished dried olives will be wrinkled and will have a slightly bitter but very pleasant taste. The dried fruit can be stored at room temperature for up to one month, in the refrigerator for up to six months or in the freezer for up to one year.
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