1½ cups mixed olives (we lean toward kalamata, niçoise, cerignola and oil-cured)
1 fresh cayenne chile, seeds removed, sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, peeled and gently pressed with the side of a knife
3 large swaths of lemon peel
3 large swaths of orange peel
1 teaspoon pink or black peppercorns, or a combo
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
1 sprig rosemary
Olive oil, to cover

Marinated Olives

Makes 1 16-oz. jar

Soon enough, you’ll be able to buy these babies from our brick and mortar market. Until then, you can (and should) make them yourself! They require very little effort, you can substitute or skip ingredients if you don’t have everything on hand, they are a perfect cocktail party snack or dinner party opener, and they only get better with age!

We love serving the olives in a cast-iron pan, straight out of the oven (simply heat your oven to 350°F and heat the olives for about 15 minutes). The leftover marinating liquid makes an excellent vinaigrette base or dipping sauce — in fact, we highly recommend serving them with a hunk of toasty bread.

1½ cups mixed olives (we lean toward kalamata, niçoise, cerignola and oil-cured)
1 fresh cayenne chile, seeds removed, sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, peeled and gently pressed with the side of a knife
3 large swaths of lemon peel

3 large swaths of orange peel
1 teaspoon pink or black peppercorns, or a combo
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
1 sprig rosemary
Olive oil, to cover

Instructions

Place the olives in a 16-ounce, wide-mouth jar. Add all of the ingredients except the rosemary and thyme to a saucepan and cover with about 1 cup of olive oil. Simmer on low heat until things start to smell delicious, about 10 minutes. Pour the liquid and the aromatics over the olives, adding extra olive oil if the olives aren’t completely covered. Tuck in the thyme and rosemary. Put a lid on the jar and let the olives sit for a few days to absorb all the flavors. The longer they marinate, the better they’ll taste!