OLIVES:

"Encyclopedia of Herbs" by Deni Brown, Covent Garden Books, (c) 2001

Olea -  "This genus of 20 species of evergreen trees and shrubs occurs throughout the tropics and warm temperate regions of Africa and Eurasia.  Olea europaea thrives successfully outdoors in the Mediterranean area and similar climates.  The tradition of the olive branch as a symbol of peace began with the biblical account of the dove returning to Noah's ark with an olive branch after the flood waters had abated.  Olive trees have been cultivated since prehistoric times, providing the oil and fruits that characterize cuisines of most Mediterranean countries and, in the days before electricity, as a source of oil for lamps.  Trees begin fruiting in their seventh year, reaching their prime around the thirty-fifth year and continuing until at least 150 years old, though living very much longer; trees some 1000 years old are known. 

"Olives and olive oil vary greatly in flavor, depending on variety, time of harvesting, and processing techniques.  Green olives are unripe, and are usually preserved in brine; all olives turn black, soft, and oily when ripe.  However, green olives are often blackened by first soaking in caustic soda and then washing in ferrous gluconate to produce a firm (though poorly flavored) olive for bottling or canning, which is also easier to pit and slice.  Blackened olives cannot be used instead of ripe black olives in recipes that depend on them for flavor (such as tapenade), though they are fine for garnishing.  The finest oil (extra virgin) often comes from unpalatable varieties and is pressed without using heat or chemical solvents.  It has the lowest percentage (about one percent)  of acidity and therefore the best flavor.  In addition, extra virgin oil from different regions has a characteristic flavor.  Spanish oils are fruity, and Italian are peppery, while those from France are sweet, and Greek oils have a leafy aroma.        

"The culinary uses of the olive are well known; less familiar are the medicinal applications, which involve leaves, as well as the oil.  Olive oil is mono-saturated; it reduces gastric secretions, which is of benefit to patients suffering from hyperacidity.  Regular consumption of olive oil is thought to reduce  the risk of circulatory disease.  Olea (Greek elaio), is the Latin word for `olive' or `oil'."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RICE-VEGGIE SALAD WITH SALSA    Serves 4

1 1/2 cups rice
1 15-oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup kernel corn
1 plum with seed removed, chopped
2 Tbsp sliced black olives
1/2 cup salsa
salt, to taste

Mix ingredients in a bowl and chill for 1 hour before serving.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 CHILI WITH EGGPLANT AND OLIVES

1 tsp oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 large or 2 small green peppers, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
5 mini carrots, sliced
1 very small eggplant, unpeeled and chopped
1 heaping Tbsp sliced black olives
1 cup water
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 15-oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
salt and crushed red pepper, to taste

Saute' onion and green pepper a few minutes.  Add the next nine ingredients and simmer 20 minutes.  Add beans, salt and pepper and simmer 10 more minutes.  Remove bay leaves and serve.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 PENNE, BROCCOLI, SQUASH, GREEN PEPPER    Serves 1-2

1 Tbsp oil
Penne pasta, cooked [for 1 or 2 servings]
1 yellow squash, cut in small cubes
1/2 crown of broccoli, cut up
1/4 large green bell pepper, chopped
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
oregano, salt and crushed red pepper, to taste

Cook pasta, drain and set aside.

In saucepan pasta was cooked in put the oil and vegetables.  Put pot on medium heat and cover.  After five minutes, add seasonings, stir and replace lid.  Cook another five minutes or until broccoli is tender.  [My total cooking time was 15 minutes.]

Add pasta, stir and heat through.  Serve.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here are some notes about the recipe below.  The original recipe called for 3/4 cup of water, but I had about a cup of squash broth in the freezer and used that, and the stew was a bit soupy.  Squash, the ingredient, is raw.  It's not related to the broth.  The original recipe asked for 1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice, which I did not have, so I used hot sauce because it has vinegar in it, and the flavor works.

EGGPLANT STEW WITH SQUASH, TOMATO AND GREEN   
                    PEPPER    Serves 2-4

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 yellow squash, cut into small pieces
1 large eggplant, peeled and cubed
1/2 large green pepper, chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 cup yellow squash broth
1 heaping Tblsp dehydrated onion, rehydrated with squash
    broth
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp cayenne pepper sauce
1 tsp basil
salt and crushed red pepper, to taste

Put cinnamon and ginger in saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly for one minute. Add squash, green pepper, tomato, onion, garlic and eggplant.  Then add hot sauce and broth.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer 15 minutes.  Add basil, salt and pepper and simmer 10 more minutes.  If there is too much liquid, leave the top off for the second simmering.  This stew can be eaten hot or cold.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Raw onion can be used instead of dehydrated onion.  Just simmer it with the broccoli and carrots.

RICE, VEGETABLES AND TAMARI   Serves 1-2

1/2 cup water
salt, tamari and 1 tsp deydrated onion
1/2 cup instant white rice
small bunch fresh broccoli, chopped
3 mini carrots, thinly sliced
1 heaping Tblsp canned sliced mushrooms

Put water in small saucepan with salt, tamari and dehydrated onion.  Bring to a boil, add rice and stir, cover and set aside.  Place broccoli and carrots in another small saucepan with a small amount of water.   Bring to a boil then cover and simmer until vegetables are tender.  Add mushrooms and heat through.  Drain if there is too much water or add to rice mixture as is.  Stir to combine and serve.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

STUFFED GREEN PEPPERS     Serves 1-2

2 large green bell peppers
1 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup canned sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup kernel corn
1/4 cup shredded veggie or vegan cheese
1/4 tsp basil
Salt and crushed red pepper, to taste
1 tsp oil
1/2 Tbsp lemon juice

Preheat oven 350 degrees F.

Cut the stem end off the peppers and remove the seeds.  Boil the peppers in water for 5 minutes, drain and set aside.  In a bowl mix rice, beans, mushrooms, onion, corn, cheese, basil, salt and pepper.  Oil the bottom of a baking pan (I used a cake pan).  Put the peppers in the pan and fill them with stuffing.  Place pan in oven and pour a little water in it.  Cover the peppers with aluminum foil and bake 5 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake 15 minutes more.

Remove the peppers from the oven, mix the oil and lemon juice and drizzle over the tops of the peppers.  Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.


                                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Hi Arbor Cookbook

"Take This Veggie And Stuff It" has recipes for stuffing 21 vegetables from artichokes to zucchini, and if you don't know how to stuff an artichoke, the book explains.  There are 87 recipes, some of which have seafood but most are vegetarian.  Substitutions, measurements and equivalents are listed.  Herbs and seasonings are defined and there is a glossary of cooking terms in addition to a list of how much of a fresh spice is needed versus the same spice in a dry form.

"Take This Veggie And Stuff It" costs $12.50 per copy plus
$2.50 for shipping and handling, and it can be ordered from Hi
Arbor, Inc.; P. O. Box 265; Oceanville, NJ 08231.  Or from the web
address below.

                                             www.hiarbor.org

                                                       X X X


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour