Garlic Rosemary Marinated Olives
This house is an olive house. We (even the kids!) love olives. It's a rare week if olives don't make an appearance in one form or another. These marinated olives are on my go-to-list when I need an easy appetizer for entertaining, or something special to complete that cheese board.
I usually have all of the ingredients on hand, and they come together in only a few minutes. It's simple to adjust this recipe to your own taste as well. Flexibility is key when the pantry is running low, and there is no time to run to the store.
I use orange rather than lemon like many other recipes because orange compliments the intensity of the rosemary well. On top of that, the peel parts a lovely subtle floral scent to the marinate more than it flavors it. But don't have an orange? Just use lemon instead, it still works great!
Use any olives you like. All one variety, or a mixture of different olives. I like to use large green olives with pimento, castelvetrano olives, and kalamata olives.
Don't have champagne vinegar? No problem, substitute red or white wine vinegar.
Don't care for spice? Leave the chili flakes out. Love spice? Make it an extra hefty pinch or two of chili.
No rosemary on hand or don't care for it? A 1/4c of chopped parsley works well, as does a tablespoon of dried Italian seasoning.
These olives should marinate for at least 2 hours, but a couple days is even better to impart a deeper flavor. They will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks in an airtight container.
Want to take your marinated olives to the next level? Just before serving, put them in a 375 F degree oven for 15 minutes. They will be transformed into steamy little flavor bombs by the time they hit the table. They're so good, you'll probably eat way more than you want to. Consider yourself warned, lol.
So here you go...
Garlic Rosemary Marinated Olives
Prep Time: 10 minutes, Total Time: 2 hours, Servings: 8
Ingredients
2 cups of olives, any variety you like
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
Pinch of red pepper flakes to taste
2-4 strips of orange peel (use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin from the white pith)
3-4 cloves of finely minced garlic
2 small sprigs of rosemary roughly chopped
Method
1. Place the olives and orange peel in an airtight container.
2. Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, chili flakes, garlic, and rosemary. Pour the mixture over the olives.
3. Stir well to combine, making sure everything is well coated.
4. Leave the olives to marinate for at least 2 hours. If you plan to serve them immediately after 2 hours, leave them at room temperature. Otherwise keep them in the refrigerator. Give the olives a shake or a stir from time to time, to redistribute the marinade.
5. It is important to bring the olives back to room temperature before serving.
Note: Reserve the left over marinade to dip crusty bread, or to use as a marinade for grilled meat. You won't regret it.
