Crushed olives Calabrian recipe made with green olives that are left to mature for 1 week and then dressed with the typical seasoning of Calabrian green olives. Like fried black olives, this recipe originates from southern Italy and is served as an appetizer, perhaps with good cheese and Calabrian pita bread.
The original recipe for making crushed Calabrian olives involves buying raw, green, and meaty olives, washing them, and then crushing them with a stone or meat mallet until a crack is formed. After removing the pits, immerse them in water, where they will be left for 1 week, changing the water 3 times a day. This is the process to sweeten the green olives. Once ready, drain well and season with celery, chili pepper, bell pepper, garlic, and oregano. The recipe also includes tips for long-term preservation of crushed olives.
Did you know that in Calabria crushed olives are called “livi schiacciati” and after they’re seasoned, they become “livi cunsati”. My grandmother made crushed olives every year and today I want to share this gift with you.
Now, let’s get to the recipe for making crushed olives and try these other Calabrian appetizers:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Inexpensive
- Rest time: 7 Days
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 24
- Cooking methods: No Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer, Autumn
- Energy 88.37 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 2.54 (g) of which sugars 0.66 (g)
- Proteins 0.59 (g)
- Fat 9.15 (g) of which saturated 1.24 (g)of which unsaturated 5.28 (g)
- Fibers 1.75 (g)
- Sodium 814.38 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 50 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for the Original Crushed Olives Recipe
- 2.6 lbs green olives (bitter)
- water
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 sweet bell pepper (small)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 chili peppers (hot)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
Tools Needed for Making Calabrian Green Olives
- 1 Meat Mallet
- 1 Cutting Board or a tile
- 1 Bowl large glass
- 1 Plate
- 1 Colander
- 1 Vacuum Sealer
- 1 Vacuum Bag
Steps to Make Crushed Green Olives at Home
To start, wash the olives well, removing any leaves and damaged or stained olives.
Drain the green olives well and put them in a bowl. Fill the glass bowl halfway with fresh water.
Place one olive at a time on a cutting board or tile and crush it with the help of a meat mallet.
Give one firm hit at a time until the olive splits, revealing the pit.
Crush a few olives at a time,
remove the pit and
immerse them in water, this way they won’t have time to darken.
Continue until all the olives are crushed and mix them well so that they are well immersed in water.
The olives are now ready to rest in water for a week. Make sure to change the water 3 times a day and place a plate on top so they remain submerged in water. You will see that the olives will turn darker from their initial light and bright green color as the days pass.
After the time needed to sweeten the crushed green olives, drain them very well, leaving them in the colander for an hour. Then, place the quantity you plan to use within a week in a bowl. If you want to season them all, use the full quantity indicated in the ingredients, otherwise halve the vegetables and seasonings. Start by seasoning the crushed olives with salt, oil, and oregano and mix.
Wash and peel the garlic clove and celery. Thinly slice the celery stalk and garlic. Dice the bell pepper and slice the chili pepper.
Spread the vegetables over the olives and
mix them well. Let them rest for 30 minutes and then mix again and serve. They will be even better the next day, so be sure to store them in an airtight container.
Tips for Storing Crushed Olives
Two ways to store sweetened green olives: one is to place them in vacuum-sealer bags and remove the air with the appropriate machine. Alternatively, you can make a brine, place the olives in sterilized glass jars, and cover them with the brine.
Crushed Sicilian Olives in Brine
Once the week of resting and water changing is over, boil 2 liters of water with 200 g of fine salt. Distribute the olives in sterilized glass jars, flavoring them with rosemary, garlic, chili pepper, and fennel seeds, or alternatively, a bay leaf. Cover them with the cooled brine, and, if necessary, top up with more brine the next day until they are completely covered. Then, close the jars and store them in the pantry. They will keep for a year.
How to Season Crushed Olives
My advice is to add fresh vegetables and store them seasoned this way for 4-5 days. Meanwhile, the other olives can be seasoned with oil, salt, and oregano. This way, the vegetables will remain nice and crunchy, and the olives won’t spoil.
