MEXICAN OLIVE RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. This simple little salad can be quite extraordinary, but you’ve got to season it with that Mexican spirit by being brave with the lime juice, salt and chilli, until it’s singing in your mouth. It does a great job of waking up the other things it’s served with – a few spoonfuls of this next to a grilled chicken breast or pork chop would be an absolute celebration.
  2. Veg-wise, the onion, coriander and white cabbage are non-negotiable, as they form the base of this salad, but feel free to have a play with the other ingredients and use things like fennel or asparagus. Basically whatever’s in season and available should be a nice addition.
  3. The easiest and quickest way to make this is to use a food processor with a slicer attachment or a mandolin. If you don’t have either of those, use a speed peeler, or simply grate everything finely.
  4. Shred your white and red cabbage into two separate piles. Put just the white cabbage into a large bowl with the radishes, carrots and most of the coriander. Mix everything together really well, then kick up the flavours by adding almost all the chopped chilli, the sliced red onion and a good few lugs of extra virgin olive oil. Add most of the lime juice and a good pinch of sea salt, then toss together and have a taste. Just keep adjusting everything, adding more fragrance with the coriander, heat with the last of the chilli and acid with another squeeze of lime juice, until it’s just right for you.
  5. When you’re happy, fold in the red cabbage right before serving so it doesn’t stain everything, and tuck in.

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl combine 3 cups all purpose flour, 1.5 teaspoons baking powder (optional), and 1.5 teaspoons salt. 
• Add 1/4 cup olive oil and 1 cup warm water.  Use a spoon to combine the mixture as much as you can and then dump it onto a work surface.
• Combine and knead for 4-5 minutes until you have a cohesive ball of dough.   Cover and let rest for 30-60 minutes. 
• Divide the dough into golf-ball sized chunks and roll them between your hands to form little balls.   
• Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough balls.  I like to roll them out super thin, to the point of being transparent.   If the dough is sticking to your hands or the work surface add a sprinkling of flour. 
• Heat up a skillet or comal to medium-ish temperature.  Add a rolled out tortilla to the skillet and cook each side for approximately 30-45 seconds.  A good indication of when the side is done is light brown spots forming.
• If black spots are forming quickly you'll need to lower the heat.  If it's taking longer then a minute for light brown spots to appear then you'll need to raise the heat. 
• Continue rolling out and cooking the tortillas.  I usually add one to the pan and then quickly roll out the next so that you always have one on standby. 
• Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge where they'll keep for at least a few days.