Oliver Twist

Recently when visiting London, a friend & I spent the morning perusing at Boroughs Market.  It was obvious that the market’s merchants understood we eat first with our eyes and then our mouths as their specialty food items were laid out in very appetizing  ways.

My favorite display was that of the olive farmer (photo left).  Ten gallon wooden buckets each contained olives of various sizes and colors.  Some of these oval shaped treats were married with citrus flavors, some coated with olive oil, garlic and fresh herbs, and some stuffed with pimento, while others simply stood alone with nothing to distract us from their pungent nutty, yet fruity taste.

Going back to my childhood, I remember often pleading with my mother to open a can of black olives from the kitchen pantry so I could cover my fingertips with the edible thimbles the can contained.  After carefully placing an olive over each finger, I would carefully nibble each one off.  Yummy food fun!

As my taste buds have become more refined with age, the canned olives no longer make it into my grocery cart.  Instead I visit the local olive bar at Whole Foods to pick and choose the most delectable combination of green and black olives.  Once home, I transform these versatile nuggets into something magical.  Whether stuffing them with blue cheese to send for a swim in a martini or to slice and dice when creating a succulent puttanesca sauce to pour over my rigatoni, these pearls of goodness never disappoint.  Below is one of my favorite puttanesca sauce recipes from Emeril Lagasse.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 6 cloves minced garlic
• 2 (28-ounce) cans Roma plum tomatoes, broken into pieces, with juice
• 1 cup tightly packed, pitted, and halved Kalamata olives
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons drained capers
• 2 tablespoons minced anchovy fillets (about 8 fillets)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
• Salt
• 1 pound penne pasta, cooked to al dente

Directions

In a large pot heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute until soft and lightly caramelized, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the remaining ingredients and simmer until the sauce is thickened and slightly reduced, about 40 minutes. Adjust seasoning, to taste, cover and set aside. Add penne pasta to the pan and toss for 1 minute.