Olive

Olives, from the olive tree, offer salty, savory flavors whole or as oil.

Flavor

How to use it

Sauteing. Saute with olive oil for a fruity richness.

Salads and Tapenades. Add olives to salads or blend into tapenade for a complex salty-savory depth.

Common mistakes

• High heat makes olive oil smoke and acrid.
• Stale olives taste rancid.

What goes with olive

• Feta. Salty feta and briny olives are a Greek classic, both sharp and fatty.
• Preserved Lemon. Briny olives and preserved lemon are the classic chicken tagine pair.
• Lemon. Lemon's acidity sharpens olive's natural brininess.
• Capers. Capers and olives share a salty, briny punch in tapenade and sauces.
• Oregano. Oregano's pungent oils complement olive's salty bitterness in Greek dishes.
• Pasta. Olive's briny salt seasons pasta in puttanesca-style sauces.
• Tomato. Olive's briny salt contrasts with tomato's sweet acid.
• Za'atar. Olives' briny flavor suits za'atar's herbs.

Try tonight

• Make a tapenade for bread.
• Toss olives into a garden salad.
• Top pizza with mixed olives.

Storage

Store in brine or oil; refrigerate after opening.