The cities are filled with coloured lights. Christmas carols are playing on the TV, and in the shop windows hundreds of adorable gold and red ornaments highlight their products. Christmas is here.
And as sure that you have already thought about the menu for those days, today we bring you 5 simple appetizer recipes with olives, which will make you succeed with your friends and family at this year’s lunches and dinners without having to spend hundreds of hours in the kitchen.
#1 Olives villaroy style
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
For this preparation it is essential to use unpitted olives to avoid accidents, but with that exception, you can use black olives, green olives, stuffed with anchovy, pepper or any variety you prefer. In a little while, you will have an unforgettable aperitif ready.
Ingredients for 4 people
- 12 olives, béchamel sauce, egg, bread crumbs and olive oil
- For the béchamel sauce, 60 gr of butter, 60 gr of flour, 1 litre of whole milk (some will be left over)
How to prepare Olives villaroy style
Prepare a classic béchamel sauce, mixing the same amount of butter as flour and beating it with the rods until you get a roux. We incorporate slowly the milk without stopping to move until obtaining a thick texture, similar to when we prepare croquettes.
Chop the olives in chopsticks to facilitate handling and we put them in the béchamel before it cools, letting it wrap. Once covered by béchamel, let them cool so that the cover hardens a little.
We remove the chopsticks from the olives once they are cold and we pass them through beaten egg and bread crumbs, taking advantage of to finish giving them a spherical shape. We put oil to heat and fry them until they are well browned. We put the chopsticks back and serve them while they are still hot.
#2 Gordal olives stuffed with peppers, almonds and blue cheese
Gordal is a large-sized green olive from Spain, which has a rich flavour and is perfect for stuffing, due to its size. The stuffed olives are very easy to prepare and at the same time they are impressive and can make any day during the week or meeting with family and friends something extra special.
Ingredients
- 24 Olives from Spain Gordal
- 3 Spanish Piquillo peppers, drained and cut lengthwise into about 8 thin strips
- 24 roasted salted Marcona almonds
- 3 tablespoons of extra virgin Spanish olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon of honey
- 1 sprig of thyme, left intact
- 1/2 cup of shredded blue cheese from Spain, like Cabrales, or your favourite blue cheese.
How to prepare stuffed olives
In a bowl, mix the olive oil, sherry vinegar, thyme and honey. Stir and press gently on the sprig of thyme with the back of the spoon to release the oils. Set aside until you are ready to use.
Unpitted the olives using a knife. Make a cut lengthwise and gently remove. The olives must remain intact.
Place the olives on a flat surface like a cutting board with the slit lengthwise upward. Stuffed with 1 almond, followed by a strip of Piquillo pepper, which you must fix flush with the groove that was made in each olive.
Place the stuffed olives on a plate and add 1 spoon of the marinade on each of the olives. Let the olives marinade at room temperature for 30 minutes. Serve, placing the olives on a plate and cover with shredded pieces of Cabrales cheese or your favourite blue cheese.
#3 Olives, pepper and cheese muffins
If you are looking for a true contrast of flavours, these salty muffins are undoubtedly the best option. We recommend using Piquillo peppers and Parmesan cheese, although you can vary them with an equally delicious result.
Preparation time: 45 minutes’ preparation and 25 min cooking: 1h, 10 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients 12 servings
- 300 grams of flour.
- 1 table spoon of yeast.
- 1 teaspoon salt.
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 250 ml. of milk.
- 1 egg.
- 80 ml. of olive oil.
- 60 grams of Piquillo peppers drained and cut.
- 50 grams of green pitted olives cut into thin slices.
- 60 grams of grated Parmesan cheese.
- 30 or 40 grams of grated feta cheese.
How to prepare olives muffins
Preheat the oven to 190º. Prepare a mold for muffins, gives for 12 units. Mix flour, yeast, salt and pepper. Add the milk, the egg and the oil until they are well mixed and integrated. Add the cut peppers, the olives and the grated feta cheese. Sprinkle parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes until the muffins have risen and are golden brown.
#4 Baked olives with cheese
A very quick appetizer to prepare. Perfect as finger foods and dinners with children.
Preparation time: 35 mins
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
– 115 g of grated cheddar cheese
– 30 g of margarine
– 60 g of flour
– A pinch of pepper powder
– 24 green olives stuffed with red pepper
How to prepare baked olives with cheese
Preheat the oven to 200º C. In a bowl, mix the cheese with the margarine. Add the flour and mix well. Take each olive and surround it with a portion of this dough, remaining like a little elongated ball.
Put the olives thus prepared on an oven paper. Put it in for about 15 minutes, until golden brown.
They can be frozen and bake later, adding a little more baking time.
#5 Salad of olives and oranges
This salad is a magnificent combination of Arab influence, typical of Andalusian recipes. This recipe really shows the versatility of the Olives from Spain. You would not think of mixing ripe, tasty, black olives with sweet, juicy oranges from Valencia, but the combination is surprisingly good. The game of salty and sweet goes further with the addition of spicy red onions.
Ingredients
For the salad:
– 4 oranges from Valencia
– 1/2 cup sliced ripe black Spain Olives
– 1/2 small red onion, cut into thin slices
– 1/4 cup of pomegranate seeds
– 10-15 mint leaves, whole leaf or sliced
For the dressing:
– 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, freshly squeezed
– 1 tablespoon of orange juice, freshly squeezed
– 3 tablespoons extra virgin Spanish olive oil
– A pinch of hot Spanish pepper or cayenne (optional)
– A pinch of sea salt in a cup
How to prepare olive and orange salad
Cut the top and bottom of the oranges. Cut enough so that the meat inside is barely exposed. On a cutting board, place the orange down, then insert the knife blade into the space between the meat and the skin at an angle that matches the outline of the fruit. Work your knife around with a gentle saw motion, following the outline of the fruit and removing the skin enough to expose the flesh beneath. Use the knife to remove the additional pieces of the white part, as it is bitter.
Cut the sliced oranges crosswise in a quarter of an inch thick, making beautiful slices. Place the overlapping slices lightly on your serving plate. Add ripe black olives, pomegranate seeds, slices of red onion and mint leaves.
Make the dressing by mixing the lemon juice, orange juice, olive oil, spicy paprika or pepper if used, and sea salt in a bowl. Pour dressing liberally over the salad and serve at room temperature.