Marinade for hard olives?
Will any marinade soften overly tough large green olives?
I tried simmering in veggie broth before stoning and adding to pasta sauce: even an hour made little difference.
Best Answer
No, you cannot soften them, by marinade or by other means.
Olives are pickled anyway, they have been sitting in a marinade for weeks. Adding a bit more will not change them.
The real difference between soft olives and hard olives is ripeness. Soft olives are a ripe fruit, and hard olives get picked and pickled while still unripe. This is no different than, say, an unripe peach - the fruit is simply not juicy. And unlike some kinds of fruit, you cannot ripen olives at home - since they are marinated, they are already dead and cannot develop any longer.
If you want soft olives, you have to buy the kind which is already soft. I would suggest trying to find Greek olives, they tend to be sold soft, as opposed to Spanish olives, which are sold in many supermarkets in Western Europe as tiny, hard, unripe and tasteless pieces.
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How do you soften olives?
4. Place the cut olives into a food-grade plastic pail (or other container as listed above) and cover olives with fresh, cool water. Keep the olives submerged by placing a heavy plate or a sealed plastic food-storage bag filled with water over the fruit. Close the container lid loosely and leave the olives to soak.How do you prepare ripe olives?
Cut two slits in each olive and then place these into a tub filled with water to cover. Keep the olives submerged and change the water every day, for 6 days. On the next day, instead of re-filling with water, pour over some plain white vinegar (the cheap no-name brands will do) and leave overnight.Do you have to cure olives before marinating?
If you have an olive tree, try curing your own ripe olives at home. Plan ahead to allow at least 3 weeks brining time for the olives, plus 3 days marination time.How do you enhance olives?
You can really use any herbs and seasonings of your choice. This time we're going to use fresh thyme, rosemary, coriander and fennel seeds, bay leaves, garlic, a little dried red chili for some spiciness, extra virgin olive oil and those wonderful preserved lemons.Marinated Olives with Lemon, Oregano \u0026 Garlic
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