In honor of St. Joseph’s Day, Kit Wohl's Cookbook Studio presents this recipe for Italian olive salad. The recipe is from Liz Williams of Southern Food and Beverage Museum and Kit's book New Orleans Classic Celebrations (Pelican Publishing). Kit appears regularly in the kitchen on the Sunday edition of Eyewitness Morning News, Sundays at 6 a.m.
Liz Williams explores Saint Joseph's Day and the culinary impact of Sicilian immigrants on the foods of New Orleans. As president of SoFab, the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, she calls her recipe Three Generations, because it is her grandmother’s olive salad recipe, but her mother and she have each tweaked it in their own kitchens. Of course it is great to use traditionally on a muffuletta, but also is great on an antipasto platter or in a tossed green salad.
Makes a lotta olive salad– about 2 quarts
1 anchovy filet
2 cups, coarsely chopped black olives (the better the olives, the better the salad)
(This does not mean what is sold in a can as chopped black olives, it means black olives that you have chopped.)
3 cups, coarsely chopped cured green olives with pimento
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced raw carrot
1 very, very thinly sliced lemon, including any juice that can be saved
Boiled quartered baby artichokes, about 10 artichokes, fresh is best
(This is about 2 packs of frozen, boiled and cooled. Canned can be substituted in a pinch, but the taste is inferior)
1 cup finely diced raw cauliflower (optional)
4 minced garlic cloves
¼ cup capers, coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped, or 6 tablespoons dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
Mash the anchovy with a tablespoon or two of olive oil in the bottom of the bowl you are using. Mash until it totally dissolves into the oil. Add all ingredients except olive oil and oregano. Mix the ingredients.
Add enough olive oil to just barely cover the mixture. Use a fruity olive oil. Stir well so that the mixture is evenly distributed, without clumps of like ingredients. After an hour taste the mixture. If it needs more acidity add a bit more lemon juice to taste.
Because of the olives and anchovy this mixture will probably not need additional salt, but add it if you like.
Sometimes she throws in fresh basil leaves right before serving.
This recipe is very forgiving and flexible.
It keeps well in jars in the refrigerator, for three to four months, at least, but you’ll use it way before then.
In honor of St. Joseph’s Day, Kit Wohl's Cookbook Studio presents this recipe courtesy of Kit's book New Orleans Classic Celebrations (Pelican Publishing). Kit appears regularly in the kitchen on the Sunday edition of Eyewitness Morning News, Sundays at 6 a.m.
