Green Olive Pasta Recipes

HERBY PASTA WITH GARLIC AND GREEN OLIVES

Steps:

• Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than package directions.
• Meanwhile, heat 1/4 cup oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium. Add garlic and cook, stirring often and pressing down on cloves so they make good contact with the bottom of the pot, until golden and soft, about 5 minutes. Add parsley and cook, stirring occasionally, until parsley releases some of its liquid and slightly darkens in color, about 5 minutes. Toss in olives and red pepper flakes and cook another minute to let the flavors meld.
• Using tongs, transfer pasta to pot with sauce and add butter and 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid. Cook, tossing and adding more pasta liquid as needed, until each strand of pasta is coated and pasta is al dente, about 4 minutes. Remove pasta from heat and toss in basil, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Taste and season with salt as needed.
• Divide pasta among bowls and drizzle with more oil.

UNBELIEVABLY CREAMY GARLIC & GREEN OLIVE PASTA

Steps:

• Put on a big pot of water to boil.
• Pick out your pasta, cook it al dente and keep it hot You can use spaghetti, capellini, vermicelli, or linguini, whatever you prefer.
• After you've made this once, and you know how long it takes for you to make the sauce, you make everything come up ready at the same time.
• Get some green olives.
• Any kind you want, really.
• I just get a bottle of cheap salad olives.
• There are usually a lot of pimento pieces floating around in there.
• We like the color, but I'm afraid the ol' Frugal Gourmet would NOT approve.
• You can get a bit fancier if you want.
• Chop up the olives a bit, not tiny.
• Next the garlic.
• OK, you HAVE to use fresh for this, no powder, not even the jar of pre-chopped.
• Those are okay for some things, and I do use them often.
• However, if you use anything other than fresh garlic in this recipe, you will not be impressed, and you will never make this again.
• I will weep.
• Don't do that to me.
• Take your fresh garlic clove, wrap it in that flat rubber disc you use to open jars.
• Just roll it up in there, then roll it back and forth on the countertop a few times.
• Unwrap it, and the peel should be off or mostly off.
• Do this with lots of garlic cloves.
• LOTS.
• At least a couple per person you're feeding.
• Slice the garlic, but not too thinly.
• In a hot non-stick sauté pan, put a little olive oil, the fresh sliced garlic and a lot of chopped green olives.
• Be generous.
• A handful per person is a good start.
• Sauté the garlic and olives just a bit, being careful not to let the garlic brown, or it may become bitter.
• Add some light cream, and bring to a simmer.
• Cook over low heat until the liquid has been reduced by almost half, and it is thick, stirring very often.
• Pour this over the hot pasta, sprinkle generously with parmesan, chopped parsley (fresh is best, but I usually only have dried) and black pepper, preferably fresh from the pepper mill.
• Toss.
• Serve immediately.
• Bow.
• But be humble.

GREEN OLIVE PASTA

Steps:

• Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 10-12 minutes until al dente.
• Meanwhile -- Slice the olives into 5-6 slices each (may sound time-consuming but it's not, really).
• Remove seeds from red bell pepper, quarter and slice finely.
• Drain mushrooms.
• When the pasta is cooked, drain in colander.
• Quickly heat all other ingredients in the olive oil (1-2 minutes maximum). The idea is to take the chill off, not to cook!
• Serve vegetables spooned generously over pasta.

CHICKEN WITH GREEN OLIVES AND PASTA

Steps:

• Heat 2 Tbl of oil and the butter in a skillet. Add the chicken halves, and panfry until they are golden brown all over. Remove the chicken from the skillet.
• Add the onion and garlic to the skillet, and fry over a medium heat until they begin to soften. Add the bell peppers and mushrooms and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and season to taste. Transfer the vegetables to a casserole dish, and arrange the chicken on top of them.
• Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil. Pour the wine over the chicken. Cover the pan and cook in a preheated oven at 350°F for 50 minutes.
• Add the olives to the casserole and mix them in . Pour in the cream, cover, and return to the oven for 10-20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and the remaining oil, and cook until the pasta is tender bur still firm to the bite. Drain the pasta well and transfer it to a serving dish.
• Arrange the chicken on top of the pasta, spoon the sauce over the top, garnish with the parsley and serve immediately. Alternatively, place the pasta in a large serving bowl and serve it separately from the vegetables.