Calabrian crushed olives: how to prepare them
The crushed olives are a typical Calabrian appetizer that can be kept in jars all year round.
What are Calabrian crushed olives?
In Calabrian dialect they are called "alive ammaccate" and are prepared in autumn in large quantities to preserve them for a long time and consume them all year round. They are generally served among the appetizers together with cheese and cold cuts and are very tasty and appetizing. They are so called because they are squashed and opened with a weight that can be a stone as in the Calabrian tradition or even a meat tenderizer.
Calabrian crushed olives recipe
To prepare the crushed olives you must first choose large, pulpy green olives. Here is the procedure.
Wash one kg of olives and place them on a work surface. Crush them so that they open, but without breaking the stone. Put them in a container, cover them with water and let them rest for 2 days changing the water every 12 hours.
After the two days of soaking, boil 3 litres of water with 400 grams of salt and dip the olives, turn off the fire and let them rest covered in brine for one day. Then prepare another brine with another 400 grams of salt and soak the olives for another 24 hours. After this time rinse them and soak them in a pot full of unsalted water for one day. Drain them and let them dry on a clean cloth.
Then season them with vinegar, slices of garlic and chilli pepper, oregano, parsley, laurel and fennel seeds. Pour the olives seasoned in jars previously sterilized and add extra virgin olive oil to the brim. The crushed olives can then be eaten immediately or preserved for a few months.
