Ingredients
Olives
- 1.5 kgfirm green olives, unblemished
- cold water, for the daily changes
Brine
- 2 litreswater
- 200 gcoarse non-iodised salt — 10%
Aromatics
- 3 tbspcoriander seed, lightly cracked
- 1 headgarlic, cloves peeled and lightly crushed
- 2lemons, sliced thick
- olive oil, to seal
Directions
- Crack each olive by laying it on a board and pressing down sharply with a stone or the flat of a heavy knife, so the flesh splits but the stone stays whole. Cracking is what lets the water reach the flesh — an uncracked olive takes months where a cracked one takes a fortnight.
- Put the cracked olives in a bowl, cover with cold water and leave at room temperature. Change the water completely every day for 10 to 14 days.
- Taste one from the eighth day onward. When the harsh bitterness has gone and only a pleasant edge remains, they are ready. Under-soaked olives are genuinely inedible, and there is no shortcut past this.
- Dissolve the salt in the water to make a 10% brine and cool it completely.
- Pack the drained olives into a jar with the cracked coriander seed, garlic and lemon slices, and pour over the cold brine so everything is submerged.
- Float a 1 cm layer of olive oil on the surface. This seals the jar from air, which is what stops the film of yeast that otherwise forms.
- Leave in a cool place for three weeks before eating. They keep six months, and go on softening slowly.
Technique
- Change the water daily and taste before you brine. The water changes carry the bitterness away, and stopping early wastes the whole batch.
- Ten percent is a strong brine and it is what holds a cracked olive, which has an open wound and no skin protecting it.
- Keep everything under the brine and the oil. Anything above the surface moulds.
Substitutions
- Fennel seed or crushed dried chilli alongside the coriander.
- Bitter orange in place of lemon, which is traditional in some Cypriot villages.
Variations
- Black ripe olives take a longer dry-salt cure and are a different preparation entirely.
- The finished olives are often dressed again with fresh coriander, lemon and oil just before serving.
History
Green olives are cracked with a stone to speed the brine cure; the Cypriot preparation holds EU protected designation.
Frequently asked questions
What is Elies tsakistes?
Elies tsakistes is a fermented & pickled from Cyprus: cracked green olives cured in brine with coriander, lemon and garlic. Green olives are cracked with a stone to speed the brine cure; the Cypriot preparation holds EU protected designation.
How long does Elies tsakistes take to make?
Elies tsakistes takes 40 min plus 10 to 14 days de-bittering and 3 weeks curing of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes fills a 2-litre jar. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Elies tsakistes?
Yes, within limits. Fennel seed or crushed dried chilli alongside the coriander. Bitter orange in place of lemon, which is traditional in some Cypriot villages.
What is the most important thing to get right in Elies tsakistes?
Float a 1 cm layer of olive oil on the surface. This seals the jar from air, which is what stops the film of yeast that otherwise forms.
