Fancy Citrusy Olives

 

I know, I said nothing fancy! But these olives deserve the title. Great straight from the briny bath they came from, Castelvetrano olives are delicious as is, but warming them in a bit of citrusy olive oil with some whole chiles makes them, well, better (and kind of fancy).

These can be customized to your liking, so go wild! Mix your olives! Add smashed garlic or chopped rosemary! Up the citrus! The moral of the story here is that your already good olives should be gently simmered in a flavorful olive oil to warm through and mellow their briny flavor, making them truly excellent.

YIELD — 6–8 servings

 

Ingredients

  • 1 lemon

  • 1 orange

  • 1⁄2 cup olive oil

  • 4 whole chiles de arbol, or 1⁄2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes Peel of 1 grapefruit

  • 1 pound unpitted Castelvetrano olives

Directions


  1. Halve and thinly slice one half of each lemon and orange, saving the other halves for juicing.

  2. Warm the olive oil in a small pot over medium heat. Add the chiles, lemon and orange slices, and grapefruit peel. Let sizzle a minute or two, then add the olives.

  3. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting and let the olives hang out here for anywhere from 10 minutes to 1 hour, stirring every so often. (If your stove’s burner is one of those that never quite gets that low, then you might want to max them out around 30 minutes.)

  4. Let the olives cool to room temperature in the pot and then squeeze in the lemon and orange juice from the remaining halves. Serve with citrus peels and all, making sure you have a little dish for the olive pits.

DO AHEAD: Olives can be marinated up to a month in advance, covered, and refrigerated. Gently rewarm them before serving.


snacksAlison RomanComment