Castelvetrano Butter

Grown in Sicily, Castelvetranos are in their peak season in September and October. If you can (and don’t mind a little extra work) buy the olives with pits as they hold their texture and flavor better than pitted ones. Most grocery stores with an olive bar will carry Castelvetranos.

The lively bright green color makes the other olives look dull in comparison, and they’re our favorite at the PDC Studio. The olives are buttery and fruity without being too briny, and the meat is firm and crisp. 

This compound butter is very versatile - if you can resist eating all the olives before you get to making it.

Castelvetrano Butter 
yields 1.5 pounds of butter

shopping list

• 1/2 lb Castelvetrano olives

• 1 lb butter, room temperature

• 1 ea orange, zested and juiced

• 1 bunch thyme, picked

equipment

• Clean towel

• Robot coupe or food processor

• Microplane

• Parchment paper (if saving the butter)

steps

1. Pull out the pound of butter to room temperature overnight or at least 4 hours before. If you forgot, you can always cube the butter into smaller pieces to help it temper. 

2. Drain the olives from their brine and dry with a clean towel as best you can. If you bought olives with pits, now’s the time to remove them. If you don’t have an olive or cherry pitter, lay a clean towel on your cutting board. Using the palm of your hand, gently smash the olives to release the pit. 

3. Place the tempered butter, Castelvetranos, and orange zest & juice in the food processor and pulse until the butter starts to incorporate (this will help with less scraping of the bowl), then food process until smooth. Scrape down the bowl and finish with the freshly picked thyme and blitz until incorporated.

4. Taste the butter, adjusting the seasoning with salt if needed. Castelvetranos aren’t very briny so you’re likely to need a few pinches of salt. The butter will be olive green and mostly smooth with flecks of olives confetti.

5. Take the butter out of the food processor and roll the butter into quarter pound rolls. The butter will keep for a few weeks in the refrigerator or months in the freezer.

Suggested uses:

roast chicken, grilled fish, roasted cauliflower, buttery pasta, charcuterie boards, sandwiches, toast