Olive Oil

Method

1. Pick over 500 g of freshly harvested olives on a tray, throwing out leaves, twigs, and any fruit that is bruised, split or fly-marked — a single spoiled olive taints the whole pressing. Rinse them briefly in cold water and spread on a cloth to dry completely; surface water will cloud the oil.
2. Crush the olives whole, stones included, in a heavy stone mortar with a pestle, working in batches so nothing escapes the bowl. Pound and grind for 10-15 minutes until you have a coarse, even purple-brown paste flecked with cracked stone. Do not use a metal blender blade for long — heat and metal dull the flavour.
3. Scrape the paste into a wide bowl and add 100 ml of warm water at about 27C. Now malax: stir the paste with a wooden spoon in slow, continuous folds for 40 minutes. It will darken, loosen and take on a sheen as tiny oil droplets merge into visible golden-green beads on the surface. Keep it warm but never hot — above 30C you lose the fresh aroma.