Side Dish - Grandma Helen's Olive Salad (from Judy Cottone)

Before I start, I have to warn you that I don't measure when I cook so amounts will be ball-park.

Olive Salad

Green Spanish olives with pits - I use 3 jars

1 head of celery

1 large red onion

salt

black pepper

oregano

olive oil

red wine vinegar

Use a mallet or the bottom of a heavy glass to break the olives.  You don't want to smash them, just hit them hard enough to break them so the meat of the olive is exposed.  If some of them get smashed, use them anyway.

Cut the celery into large bite-sized pieces .  DON'T dice it!

Slice the onion into thin slices.  I cut the onion in half & then slice it so you wind up with half slices instead of rings.

Put the olives, celery & onion into a large plastic container that has a lid.

Add salt, pepper & oregano.  Be generous, especially with the salt.  The celery sucks it up.

Add oil & vinegar so mixture is very wet.  I use about equal amounts of oil & vinegar.

Mix it all up so the olives & celery are all covered with the oil & vinegar.

It's best if it sits in the fridge for at least a day so it has a chance for all of the different flavors to blend together.  Several times during the day, mix it up so the olives on top get covered with oil again.  Also, after it has been in the fridge for a while, the oil starts to gel.  Take it out of the fridge at least a couple of hours before you want to serve it so the oil gets liquid again.

Once it has been sitting for a while, taste it to see if it needs more salt or vinegar.