Green Olive Crusted Chicken with homemade green olive tapenade

 I LOVE olives !!! and this - I think, has been firmly demonstrated on my blog. Such a shame that on the British Isles there isn't the same selection and variety of olives, that can be found in the Mediterranean . The versatile olive fruit can be eaten as an appetiser, either on its own or stuffed, or  often used as a cooking ingredient especially in the Med.
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Raw olives are incredibly bitter, so once harvested they are cured and then usually preserved in salt or brine. The small, oval olive fruit has a flavour ranging from salty to mild and sweet. It can be harvested at any stage – the immature fruit is green; it turns red-brown and then black when fully ripened – which accounts in part for the variation in flavour.

The Original Tapenade

The original tapenade is a purée that stems from Provence, France and is used as a spread. The word tapenade comes from the Provençal word tapèno, meaning “capers,” which are a common ingredient, but some people think of tapenade as basically “olive paste.” It is considered a gourmet condiment.
There are several sets of ingredients that tapenade may contain, with more variations introduced as time goes on. The original spread contained capers, black olives, and anchovies, all of which were pureed along with olive oil. Other ingredients mentioned include lemon juice, seasonings such as fresh herbs, and garlic. Some recipes specify the type of black olive to be used, such as kalamata, nicoise, or gaeta olives, and some call for mustard, liquor such as cognac or brandy, and red wine vinegar. They differ in whether they use anchovy paste or fillets.

Other ingredients that can be used as a base for tapenades are :
artichokes
portabella mushrooms
sun dried tomatoes
green olives
roasted garlic

Tapenade can be served with vegetables, fish, or meat, and is sometimes used as a stuffing. It is often simply spread on artisan bread, pita, crostini, or crackers for use as an hors d’oeuvre. Some use it as a sandwich spread, while others use it to top baked potatoes or toss it with pasta.
Homemade tapenade can be prepared using a mortar and pestle or a food processor. Tightly covered, it will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Tapenade butter is created by combining classic tapenade ingredients with butter to make a paste. It is used as a meat garnish or inserted under a chicken’s skin before roasting, and it is sometimes used to create a sauce. Tapenade butter can also be formed into a log, wrapped in plastic wrap, chilled, and served in slices.

My green olive Tapenade

Ingredients
2 cups Spanish green olives (olives stuffed with jalepeno peppers will give this a kick)
1 clove of garlic
2 tablespoons capers
7 fresh Spanish marinated anchovy fillets
1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon lemon juice
6 tbs olive oil

Method
Place the olives, capers, anchovies, parsley and garlic into a food processor (or use a mortar and pestle for a more authentic paste) . Cover and process until the mixture is finely chopped. Add 6 tablespoons oil and the lemon juice and process just until combined. Do not over process to puree the mixture.

Green Olive Crusted Chicken

Ingredients
Homemade green olive tapenade (enough to spread over 4 chicken breasts)
50g breadcrumbs
Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
1 tbsp grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
4 chicken breasts (about 500g)

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C, gas mark 4. Mix together the tapenade, breadcrumbs, lemon zest and cheese. Press firmly onto each chicken breast to coat. Place on an oiled baking tray and cook in the middle of the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through, the juices run clear and there is no pink meat.

Serve wth seasonal roasted vegetables

Spanish Olives (Aceitunas)

Spanish olives are rated amongst the best in the world and Spain produces almost 30% of the world's olive oil and is responsible for almost half of the world's olive production, not surprising really as some of the best varieties of olive are found in Spain with a substantial quantity coming from Andalusia.

It was the Phoenicians who first brought the olive tree to Spain, but the Ancient Romans are credited with establishing vast farms of olives, often owned by absentee landlords who lived back in Rome. Although Italy produced its own olives, the Romans relied on Spain as a major supplier of olive oil to the Empire.
At this period green and black olives were cured in salt or brine and eaten both at grand Roman banquets as appetizers and by the common man as a breakfast snack with a hunk of bread.

The Moorish invasion of Spain in the 8th century AD developed and sustained the olive industry in Southern Spain, as it declined in many other parts of the former Roman Empire, introducing new varieties and production methods. 800 years later when the last of the Moors left Spain and it was ruled by Catholic kings, a taste for olive oil was considered to indicate suspicious sympathies for the old regime and lard was re-established as the principle cooking fat in all but the southern regions of Spain.

A handful of olives continued to be a common snack throughout the centuries in Southern Spain. When the tradition of tapas was born, as a snack to accompany a glass of wine in between meals, the first and simplest tapas would have been a slice of bread with a few olives, or a slice of ham

There are hundreds of varieties of olives in cultivation in Spain. These vary according to the region where they are grown and also how they're prepared.The Manzanilla and Queen olives are probably the most well known and popular olives.

Manzanilla Olives
The Manzanillas are grown almost everywhere in Spain and especially Andalusia. They are small and tender and are considered the perfect martini olive, they are also ideal for stuffing, the most popular stuffing being anchovies.

Queen Olives
Queen olives are large, plump and fleshy and are grown in the Seville province of Andalusia. They are perfect for stuffing as they are large and fantastic in aroma and flavour and go really well with peppers, almonds or seafood.

Picual Olives
The most important variety of olive is the Picual and is grown in the provinces of Jaen, Cordoba and Granada in Andalusia. This olive represents almost 50% of Spain's olive production and is delightfully peppery and fresh.

Hojiblanca Olives
The Hojiblanca olive is a pure delight and the first olive I tried that I immediately liked due to its intense and diverse flavour - it tastes like lots of olives in one it is peppery, then fruity with traces of almonds and even grassy hints. The name comes from the leaves, hoja meaning leaf and blanca white and from a distance these trees look vary bright and almost silver.

Arbequina Olives
Another of my recommendations is the Arbequina olive which comes from Aragon and Catalonia and is Spain's best loved olive. The fruit is small and delicate with lovely diverse flavours ranging from smoky and mild to earthy and fruity with hints of artichokes and even apple.

Verdial Olives
The Sierra Magina in the Jaen province of Andalusia is home to the beautifully dark Verdial olive which is quite large with a distinct fruity, yet spicy flavour. I would recommend this olive to a seasoned connoisseur as it is robust and commands respect.

Picolimon Olives
The Picolimon olive is a great table olive with its juicy fullness and fresh citrus flavour. They are round and fleshy and go really well with nuts and dried fruit as an aperitif.

Picudo Olives
The Picudo olive with its lovely unique pointed end like a peak which is from where the name is derived, is generally found in the Andausian regions of Malaga, Jaen, Granada and especially Baena in Cordoba . It is a sweet and fruity olive with soft juicy flesh and makes for a popular table olive in both the green and black varieties.

Carried these back in my suitcase

Generally olives are harvested whilst still green and as a result they are not yet fully ripe and if eaten raw are very hard and bitter. Before bottling, they have to be 'cured' and this is where the fun begins when choosing your favourite type of olive. Initially the preparation for bottling begins with washing and then storing in brine for a long period of time to remove the bitterness and soften them.

During the curing process of green olives, the brine is often prepared with different herbs and aromatics for an exciting but subtly flavoured olive. In some cases families who have been curing their own olives for generations use carefully guarded secret recipes which results in a totally unique olive.


How olives are stuffed:
For centuries, olives were pitted and stuffed by hand. Today everything is done by machines. Sweet Spanish Pepper (pimiento) is the most common stuffing., however my personal favourites are stuffed with anchovies. After harvesting the peppers are placed in brine and shipped to the Seville area where the peppers are ground and mixed with gelling agents to make a reconstituted paste. The paste is then cut and formed into ribbons that are fed into pitting and stuffing machines. The machines pit the olive, take the pimiento and cut them into small pieces and stuff them into the olives all in one smooth operation. Over 1000 olives can be stuffed per hour.

Aceitunas- sabor de anchoa

Slow cooked chicken with olives and capers

Ingredients
4 chicken drumsticks
4 chicken thighs
2 tomatoes
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove
1small jar/tin of Spanish green olives
small jar of capers


Method
In a large cooking pot, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil and sear the chicken pieces until all sides have a brown, crisp sear.

While chicken is searing, cut the tomatoes and onion into large chunks, place in blender along with the garlic, and blend until it forms a thick sauce.

Once Chicken is done searing add the sauce and the remaining ingredients.

Bring to a boil, cover the pot and lower the temperature.

Simmer for two hours or until the chicken becomes tender.

Add salt and pepper to taste