OlivFresh Organic Olives

Good to see so many Queensland finalists in the Delicious Magazine Produce Awards this year.  One such finalist is Olivfresh Organic Olives from Coominya west of Brisbane.

Peter & Susan Agnew purchased 350 acres on Lake Wivenhoe, Coominya, 7 years ago and set about planting a 7000 tree olive grove which is certified organic.  Despite its relative youth OlivFresh has won a slew of awards so they are good chance to take out the Delicious Magazine award announced next month.

OlivFresh olive grove on the banks of Lake Wivenhoe

 
Like a lot of you I came to appreciate olives later in life. There is something about their lovely briny, saltiness that is lost on many lolly loving kids.  But I love then now and that's the main thing.  There is a whole world of olives out there and I don't profess to know my Coratina from my Picual from my Barnea but I do know what I like.  That's why the Ligurian Style Olives by OlivFresh stood out. They are elegant little table olives that have a mellow nutty flavour perfect as an aperitif but also excellent in cooking.


The Ligurian style was developed by Benedictine monks 400 years ago by hand harvesting the olives then laying them down in vats with purified water and sea salt for 4 months.  They keep a pretty close eye on them while a totally natural fermentation process takes place.  The result is a mellow, low salt olive with soft skin and firm flesh that are easy to pit.

OlivFresh Ligurian style olives

OlivFresh use Arbequina olives for this style of processing which are grown to perfection in the undulating north facing land on Lake Wivenhoe in South East Queensland where the warmer climate ripens the olives before the rest of the Australian producers which gives them the jump on the season without sacrificing quality.


So what to do with my tub of perfect little OlivFresh Ligurian Style Olives?  I could have eaten them right from the tub but that would have left me with nothing to write about.  I wanted a recipe where the olives are the star not a supporting role so I chose to make Stephanie Alexander's Olive Bread from her Cooks Companion.  The 370g tub of olives, once drained and pitted, gave me the required 150g needed for this recipe.  Since these Ligurian style olives were already marinated with rosemary they only heightened the rosemary flavour of the bread.  Be sure to buy good quality flour and olive oil for this recipe.

Stephanie Alexander's Olive Bread

Stephanie Alexander's Olive Bread


600g unbleached strong flour
150g stoned black olives, halved
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon instant dried yeast
2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary
1/3 cup olive oil
300ml warm water
Sea Salt (Maldon)

Mix flour, olives, salt, yeast and rosemary in a large bowl.  Add oil to water.  Make a well in flour and tip in liquid, then stir to mix well.  Tip onto an oiled workbench and kneed with oiled hands for 15 minutes or transfer to an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook and mix until dough is springy and elastic.  Add a bit more flour if too wet.  Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a draft-free place to double in size (about 45 minutes).  Tip dough gently onto workbench. Do not knock back.  Work into a cigar-shaped loaf with oiled bands, then place on a floured tea towel and  to rise again for 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 220 C with a baking tray in it. When the dough is ready roll the loaf on to the hot tray and scatter with flakes of sea salt and bake for 20 - 30 minutes (Note: Stephanie's recipe says 20 minutes but mine needed longer).  This bread is good when served slightly warm. 

I served my olive bread with Joseph First Run olive oil.  The following day I cut left over bread into thin slices, brushed with olive oil and toasted under the drill and served it with hot soup - perfect!

You can substitute black olives for green and you can also add chopped semi-dried tomatoes or bacon.  You can easily make a focaccia with this recipe too.  After the first rising, transfer the dough to an oiled baking tray and flatten with oily hands until  you have a rectangle 2-3 cm thick.  Scatter with sea salt flakes and drizzle with a little olive oil.  Allow to recover for 30 minutes then bake at 250 C until brown and crisp.

You can buy OlivFresh Organic Olives at:

Wray Organics
Mrs Flannerys
Nutriente at Hendra
Organika Noosaville
Celtic Wholefoods - Southport
Food Shed - Armadale
Fundamental - Byron Bay

You'll also find OlivFresh olives on the menu at some of Queensland's top restaurants -
Urbane
Restaurant Two
Ortega
Berardos
Sails

Want to know how to pick a good table olive?  Click here for the OlivFresh checklist.