#163: Olives and More Olives
The tree whose branch symbolizes peace, four recipes for its fruit, plus book, video and music to share.
It’s a very hearty tree. Olive trees as old as 500 years are said to still produce fruit and some live as long as 2,000. The olive tree’s branch symbolizes peace, too. As far back as the 17th century B.C. the olive tree has been revered. Franciscans brought them to California from Spain to supply themselves with oil and fruit. The street right across from Mission Santa Barbara, the beautiful rose gardens of which I walked through everyday on my way to school, is named Los Olivos. When I come home to visit, I stay with dear friends who live on Olive Street. Santa Barbara has a perfect Mediterranean climate for them and, with climate change, I hope it always will.
The whole Mediterranean…the wine, the ideas…seems to ride in the sour pungent taste of those black olives….a taste older than meat, older than wine. A taste as old as water. —Lawrence Durrell
People are passionate about trees and olive trees are no exception. Check out this article from 2013 when a most revered tree was replaced outside of Santa Barbara’s Lobero Theater. What a project that must have been!
What got me started on this? Well, as you know, I easily go down rabbit holes so, while looking through my recipes, I spied a Beef and Olive Pie that takes just ground beef, garlic, tomato paste, bread crumbs, cumin, some S&P, and olives, all tucked into a pastry crust, and thought, I love olives and others love them, too. So what other recipes might I share that use this fruit.
I’m including four recipes (for paid subscribers) that feature olives. All use ingredients that are pretty easy to find. The recipes are easy too, which is what my baking and cooking is all about. Here’s the lineup:
Beef and Olive Pie
Salade Niçoise-ish
Olive Spread (a/k/a Tapenade)
Easy Olive and Tomato Appetizer
Plus a few other ways to use olives