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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 22 MAY 2011 33 RECIPE OF THE WEEK THE small fruit that gives us olive oil, the lowly olive is a great source of flavour in Mediterranean cook- ing. However the different varieties make for different flavours. Out of the hundreds of different varieties of olive tree some are very similar with only DNA fingerprint- ing separating the types of olive. Others differ tremendously with fruit varying in size, oil content, taste, chemical characteristics and ripening time among others. When it comes to differences in olives, most people can only say that some are green while others are black. The only difference between a green and a black olive however is the ripeness of the fruit, where a green olive is actually an unripened fruit. Green olives are usually pitted and often stuffed with various fillings including pimentos, almonds, an- chovies, jalapenos, onions or capers, while black olives are more often sold with their pit, though pitted va- rieties are also available. Cultivated for over 6,000 years the olive is a mark of the Mediterranean where it typically grows in climates of relatively mild winters and hot dry summers. Straight from the tree the olive is bitter and inedible and requires cur- ing, usually in lye brine or salt. The taste of olives is affected not only by their variety but also by ripeness and curing time. Heat also causes the ol- ive to go bitter so they are best added to hot dishes at the end of cooking. Olive varieties Cerignola – An enormous olive sold either green or black. When green it has a mild and vegetal fla- vour, though when it turns black the flesh is softer and sweeter and is much easier to pit. Gaeta – A small brownish black olive that can be hard to pit but the flavour, which is reminiscent of nuts, is worth the effort. Kalamata – A plump, purplish black olive that grows in Greece. It is a good option for recipes that in- clude black olives. Manzanilla – This Spanish olive is most available at supermarkets. It is generally pitted and stuffed with pimentos or garlic. They are often used in martinis. Moroccan oil-cured – These shrivelled black olives are some- what bitter and best used in cook- ing rather than for snacking. Nicose – A small, purplish brown olive that is grown in southern France. They are chewy and fla- vourful and like the Gaeta difficult to pit. Sicilian green – These oversized green olives have a dense, some- what tart flesh. maltatoday, SUNDAY, 3 AUGUST 2014 FINE FOOD OF THE WEEK The mark of the Mediterranean Probably invented in Seville, gazpacho was originally served at the end of a meal. Though there are many versions of this soup, the traditional, tomato-based Andalusian variety is the one you want on a hot afternoon or warm evening. It's salad in a blender, summer in a bowl. SERVES 4 Ingredients 3 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting • 1 tsp fine sea salt • ¾ tsp instant or active-dry yeast • 1¾ cups ½-inch cubes aged Gruyere cheese • 1½ cups pitted ¼-inch-thick slices green • Spanish olives 1½ cups cool water (55 to 65 degrees), plus • more as needed Optional garnishes ½ green pepper, seeded and finely diced • ½ cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely diced • 1 cup ½ inch croutons • ½ small white onion, peeled and finely diced • 1 small tomato, seeded and finely diced • Instructions In a medium bowl, stir together flour, salt, 1. and yeast; stir in cheese and olives. Add water and, using a wooden spoon or 2. your hand, mix until a wet, sticky dough forms, about 30 seconds, adding additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at 3. room temperature until dough has doubled in size and surface becomes dotted with bub- bles, 12 to 18 hours. Olive and cheese bread FOOD Generously flour work surface; scrape dough onto work 4. surface. Lightly flour hands, a bowl scraper, or a spatula and lift edges of dough toward the centre. Nudge and tuck edges of dough to make round. Place a piece of parchment paper on work surface and 5. generously dust with flour. Gently place dough on parch- ment, seam-side down. If dough is tacky, lightly dust top with flour. Cover dough loosely with wax paper and two clean kitchen towels. Let down stand in a warm, draft- free spot until almost doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours. Gently poke dough with your finger; dough should hold 6. the impression. If it springs back, let rise 15 minutes more. Ten minutes before dough has finished rising, preheat 7. oven to 230°C with a rack in the lower third. Place a cov- ered cast-iron Dutch oven in centre of rack. Using pot holders, carefully remove preheated Dutch 8. oven from oven and uncover. Uncover bread and loosen bottom with a large spatula. 9. With the aid of the parchment paper, invert bread into preheated Dutch oven so that it is seam-side up. Cover Dutch oven and transfer to oven; bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until bread is dark brown 10. but not burnt, 15 to 30 minutes more. Using a heatproof spatula or pot holders, gently lift bread from Dutch oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.