These amazing savory rolls with olives and parsley gremolata are fantastic for dipping in soup or a little olive oil.
Savory Rolls with Olives & Parsley Gremolata
There are times when I am writing the story portion of my posts that I find it impossible to focus on the task at hand. This is one of those times. Of course, there will be a recipe. Savory Rolls with Olives and Parsley Gremolata, to be exact. Rolls that melt in your mouth and are rich with the briny flavor of olives and the fresh flavor of a classic parsley and lemon zest puree. However, I am having difficulties giving these rolls their due because of something that's on my mind.
Stepping up onto the soapbox.
A couple of weeks ago, you may or may not have heard that the Vancouver Canucks would be facing off against the Boston Bruins in the NHL Stanley Cup Finals. Having grown up in Vancouver as an avid hockey fan, that was a pretty big deal. The Canucks played their way to the finals two times in the past, the last time being in 1994, and have never won the cup. Yeah, we wanted it...and bad. I will spare you the blow-by-blow, but it is safe to say that the Canucks glimmer was snuffed out by game 7. Lord Stanley's cup went to Boston...on our home ice.
Now, of course I can get past this. After all, it is just a hockey game - though try telling that to two boys, 9 and 7-years old, decked out in their Canucks jerseys and hats, tears streaming down their faces as their favorite team stumbles and can't get up in the most important game of the season. Yeah, that kinda sucked.
It was what happened after the game ended that I'm having difficulties swallowing...that I am struggling to explain to my boys. Thousands of people had piled into downtown Vancouver to watch their Canucks battle for the cup on several enormous screens placed in various locations. Most of these people were there to have a good time, but left with the expected feelings of disappointment.
And then there were the others. The ones who went out into the city - my city - and looted stores, smashed car windows and lit police cars on fire.
It's not just that they cost the city and storeowners millions of dollars. It's not just that they left a black mark on Vancouver's reputation as a desirable travel destination. It's not just that they were complete idiots who would have rioted whether Vancouver won the cup or not. What bothers me the most is the flurry of so-called apologies that have come in the wake of the riots, and the complete lack of personal responsibility.
Social media - Twitter, Facebook - is playing a significant role in bringing the rioters to justice. If you want to light a police car on fire, it might be wise to take a look around to see who is filming your antics with their smartphone. Knowing that they would be caught, many of the rioters are coming forward to try to clear their names. The apologies are coming in the form of "I'm sorry I did, it, but that's not really like me at all." Really? Did you come to that realization after you smashed the fifth window or when your buddy told you he saw you on YouTube and you better hurry and 'fess up?
Are these the same people that later sue McDonald's because they spilled their coffee and didn't realize it would be hot? Or are they the ones that show up to court to face charges with expletives painted on their nails, which they freely show the judge during the hearing? My God, I need a cocktail just thinking about it.
So, as I am explaining the photos of the riots to my children, I will be sure to throw in a motherly speech about personal responsibility, about saying you're sorry and meaning it, about treating each other with compassion and respect. I know that no one is perfect and that we all made mistakes (I made at least twenty myself yesterday), but if we could all just learn to say, "I"m sorry" and then take steps to put things right, the world would be a much gentler place to live.
Climbing down from the soapbox.
Yeah, yeah - I know. This is a cooking blog and you just came here for a recipe and a few photos. Well, I don't throw a rant at you very often - in fact, I think this might be the first time - and I figured I was due. I promise that regular programming will resume with the next post.
The savory rolls recipe:
In a medium bowl, stir together yeast, water, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon sugar. Let rest for 10 minutes to allow yeast to bloom (it will bubble on the surface).
In a large bowl, stir together flour, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon sugar. Add butter and, using fingers, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
Stir in the egg, egg yolk and yeast mixture until combined. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth, 5 to 10 minutes. The dough is rather sticky, so you may need to add extra flour along the way.
Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free location until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, place the parsley, lemon zest, garlic and olive oil in a food processor and blend until combined. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in olives.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, form into a rectangle and roll to form an 18- by 9-inch rectangle. Spoon the parsley mixture down the center of the rectangle and spread until it almost reaches the edges.
Starting from one long edge, roll the dough until it forms a long tube. Cut the roll into pieces that are ¾ to 1 inch wide.
Lay the pieces on the prepared baking pans and brush lightly with olive oil.
Bake until the rolls are golden brown, rotating the pans halfway through baking, about 20 minutes. Let the rolls cool. Serve.
Other savory roll recipes:
Cookin' Canuck's Cream Biscuits with Prosciutto & Parmesan Cheese
The Pioneer Woman's Buttered Rosemary Rolls
Brown Eyed Baker's Soft Cheese & Pepperoni Bread
The Purple Foodie's Pesto Bread Rolls
Printable Recipe
Savory Rolls with Olives & Parsley Gremolata
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons yeast
- ½ cup warm water (105 - 115 degrees F)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt divided
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar divided
- 1 ¾ cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
Parsley Gremolata:
- 1 cup (packed) roughly chopped flat leaf parsley
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 ounces kalamata olives pitted & roughly chopped
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir together yeast, water, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon sugar. Let rest for 10 minutes to allow yeast to bloom (it will bubble on the surface).
- In a large bowl, stir together flour, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon sugar. Add butter and, using fingers, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
- Stir in the egg, egg yolk and yeast mixture until combined.
- Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth, 5 to 10 minutes. The dough is rather sticky, so you may need to add extra flour along the way.
- Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free location until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, place the parsley, lemon zest, garlic and olive oil in a food processor and blend until combined. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in olives.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, form into a rectangle and roll to form an 18- by 9-inch rectangle. Spoon the parsley mixture down the center of the rectangle and spread until it almost reaches the edges. Starting from one long edge, roll the dough until it forms a long tube. Cut the roll into pieces that are ¾ to 1 inch wide. Lay the pieces on the prepared baking pans and brush lightly with olive oil.
- Bake until the rolls are golden brown, rotating the pans halfway through baking, about 20 minutes. Let the rolls cool. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc.
These look delish
Lauren from Lauren's Latest
I was so shocked to heat about all the riots happening in Vancouver. It seems so unlikely for that to happen in Canada. I'm glad people are getting caught. They were dumb enough to go looting and clearly didn't think it through. {You got me a little riled up...haha!}
Shar
Too bad people have to act like that. Sure wish a mother or two had taught some people how to behave. I'm sorry for all of us that we have to deal with that kind of rude and inappropriate behavior.
Patricia
Busy week here, but I'm finally locating your site! Thanks for leaving your comment about my Reuben Loaf. Tell me HOW to share it on your site, and I'd be most happy to do so. So glad you thought it was worthy of a "share." Your rolls look wonderful. Already printed your recipe and plan to try them soon. Mouth-watering!!
Blessings to you,
Pat
p.s shoot me an email and tell me how to share the Reuben Loaf (pkrains@gmail.com) Thanks!
Isabelle @ Crumb
Dara, I can totally relate to the way you feel, because I felt exactly that during the G20 summit last year, when rioters trashed downtown Toronto. I was so angry. This was my city - my beloved hometown - and these hooligans were trampling all over it with this ferocious kind of glee.
I have no ties to Vancouver, but I was still outraged to see the destruction there. That said, it also warmed my heart to see all the people who came out the day after to clean up the streets. That's the Canada I know and love.
Good on you for finding the silver lining and using this as an opportunity to teach your boys about responsibility and consequences. It's all about not repeating other people's mistakes.
TheFromagette
I TOTALLY agree, cocktails are the answer:)
Kiran
Violence has never solved any problems. It's a painful lesson for every one. Sadly.
Bet those savory rolls are a mood up-lifter 🙂
Michelle @ Brown Eyed Baker
These look delicious Dara! And I'm so sorry about Vancouver's loss, and even more so about the rioting and you having to explain that behavior to your boys. I certainly understand your feeling of embarrassment. When the Steelers won the Super Bowl a couple of years ago, people lit couches on fire in the street. Really!? It was totally embarrassing. Hugs, and here's to next year!
Rosemary
As expected, your rolls are beautiful. You've definitely been blessed with great creative (and yummy) juices. Now about the rant . . . at first, I was afraid that you needed to rail against ill-mannered Americans, because that often seems to be the case. I'm glad it wasn't Americans misbehaving, this time. But it is sad that anyone would feel the urge to deface someone else's property and only fess up because they were filmed. Feel bad for your boys but I'm sure you helped them learn a lesson from it all.
Gail Wilson
I can't wait to try these rolls. I'm thinking adding cube hams, what do you think. It's my kids favorite! they will devour anything that has ham in it, lol! The other day I made a veggie soup with ham, and surprisingly they're more concern about the ham than the veggies, lol!
Suzanne
I didn't know about the hockey scandal because I am not a hockey fan or watch sports much. But how terrible a thing to happen, makes you really wonder about how people can loose control like that, over a sporting event. It does give a parent a good teaching moment though, a sad one at that. I enjoyed the soapbox and recipe and your photos are lovely as always.
Nourhan @ Miss Anthropist's Kitchen
These look incredible! I can't wait to try this 🙂
jancd
The actions of the people of this world today are not always what we want our children to see and we certainly don't want our children to follow their examples. The road for us to follow is narrow, and we know it is not easy, but our real home is not here. w're not home yet.
Maria
I love a good savory roll and these look incredible!
Donna
I say we all need to see more photos of those two darling canucks! What sweet boys you have!
Tricia B
Beautiful recipe and great photos. Some lessons come from bad situations as well as good. Since your boys were so committed to the event, the lessons may really stick with them. Great teaching moment - but the stress and sadness of the crime sux.
Nancy@acommunaltable
Hi Dara,
I definitely appreciated your "rant" - I think what happened in Vancouver is symptomatic of what is happening throughout our society - i.e. that if we don't like something we have the right to act out - whether verbally or physically.
Perhaps if everyone directed their energies into more productive pursuits (like making these awesome rolls!!) people wouldn't have the energy for negative acts!
Amanda
I don't want to ignore the main purpose of the entry, which was very well stated and thought-provoking, but I winced when I read the reference to the infamous "McDonald's coffee" incident.
It was wildly under-reported and is now often used as an example of a "sue-happy society," which really doesn't apply. I mean, the lady in question remained in the hospital for eight days while she underwent skin grafting from the burns.
The case summary from Wikipedia is pretty enlightening and you can follow all the references back to the source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebeck_v._McDonald%27s_Restaurants
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Amanda, fair enough. Thanks for the link and the information.
Katrina
These rolls look so lovely. Great idea!
Diana@Spain-In-Iowa
Rioting?! Crazy!! At any rate, lol, this recipe looks awesome! I'm going to give these a try tomorrow 😀