Pruning olive groves on the Greek mainland
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This Greek olive variety is certainly up there with Italian Frantoio and Spanish, Picual both of which have been highlighted in this series of posts on the different varieties of olive which are predominantly pressed for oil. It would not be exaggerating to say that the majority of Greek oils that are to be found in the UK shops are pressed from this olive.
This comes as a surprize to many people who think that Kalamata is THE Greek olive and that this is the variety that produces all the oil. In fact, the Kalamata olive is almost always used for table olive production and is rarely used in olive oil. The confusion arises because the name Kalamata is not only the name of an olive variety but also as the name of a town and the region around it.
Koroneiki olives are cultivated all over the Greek mainland and in Crete, but they are rarely to be found on the islands which have their own indigenous varieties. There are a few other varieties which may be used in some Greek oils but they are not very well known. Nor is Koroneiki really appreciated in the other producing countries of Europe. However, in the newer parts of the olive oil world they have been planted in some quantity. This is particularly true of Australia where its attractive herbaceously fruity flavours are even more pronounced than they are in its home country. New Zealand , South Africa and Peru have also planted Koroneiki olives.
The reason for this proliferation is that, except in very bad years, Koroneiki can be relied upon to produce a good yield of high quality, well flavoured oil with an excellent polyphenol content. In the kitchen, too, the results are excellent. Here are a couple of recipes which come from the people who really know about Greek oil – the producers.
GREEK OLIVE BREAD ##
This is a favouritel recipe of Vali Manuelides in Athens. She uses Odysea extra virgin olive oil sourced by her son Panyedis for his Greek export company. The bread is very quick and easy to make. It has a really light texture that is reminiscent of British scones. It goes well with a typical olive grove snack of sliced tomatoes, feta cheese and oliveThis quantity makes a loaf that slices well for four people. Serve with as above or with Greek salad for a light lunch.
Ingredients
For the bread:
- 80ml Odysea extra virgin olive oil
- 80ml orange juice (one large orange)
- 250g self-raising flour or 250g plain flour mixed with 3½ level tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
For the filling:
- 3 spring onions, chopped
- 1 dsp Odysea extra virgin olive oil
- 100g Kalamata or green olives or a mixture of the two, stoned and chopped
- 1 tbsp freshly chopped mint
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Sesame seeds (optional)
Method
Mix the oil and orange juice together with a flat whisk. Gradually add the flour or flour and baking powder mix, stirring with the whisk until the mixture gets too stiff to work. Add the final flour and mix in with your hands to make a smooth, pliable dough. Leave to rest for ½ hour.
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350˚F/Gas 4
Fry the spring onion in the olive oil until it turns translucent. Add the olives over the heat and stir well. Add the mint and pepper and remove from the heat.
Odysea Pine and Fir Tree Raw Honey -just the thing to go with this lovely bread
Form the dough into an oblong shape and roll out on lightly floured surface to make a rectangular shape. Spread the filling down the middle of the dough and fold over the sides to cover the filling.
Place, with the seam side facing down, on a tray lined with grease-proof or Bakewell paper. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until the loaf is golden in colour and a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
CRETAN POTATO AND SQUASH PIE ##
The island of Crete produces a range of medium style beautifully herbaceous olive oils and the co-operative at Sitia is no exception. Farmers from the surrounding DOP area at this eastern end of the island bring their olives into the co-operative for processing and marketing. Gaea is one of the co-operatives most important customers and they choose the oils they want to have specially bottled for them.
This recipe was developed by the well-known American-born Greek cookery writer Diane Kochilas for Gaea. It uses the Sitia DOP extra virgin olive oil and Xyno Myzithra cheese, a speciality on the island. If you do not have a source for this cheese you can use a mixture of half and half feta cheese and ricotta cheese. This quantity makes a substantial supper dish for four people.
Ingredients
- 4 -5 large potatoes, peeled and sliced
- 500g squash or courgettes, sliced
- 50g plain flour
- Salt and pepper
- 300g Xyno Myzithra cheese, coarsely chopped
- 4 sprigs fresh Greek mint or 1 heaped tsp dried mint
- 75ml Sitia DOP extra virgin olive oil
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 190˚C/375˚/Gas 5
Combine the potatoes with half the flour in a large bowl and the courgettes with the remaining flour in another bowl.
Pour a little of the oil into a large broad-based skillet or deep flan dish and spread around the base.
Shake the excess flour off the potatoes and arrange half of them on top of the oil. Follow with a layer of courgettes similarly treated. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle on half the mint and half the cheese.
Repeat these layers again ending with the cheese. Pour the olive oil over the top and bake for 45-50 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through and the top is well browned.