Greek Marinated Olives Food

WARM MARINATED OLIVES

Steps:

• Drain the green and black olives from the brine or oil that they're packed in and place them in a medium bowl. Add the orange zest, garlic, fennel seeds, thyme leaves, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Pour the olive oil over the mixture, add the thyme sprigs and toss to combine.
• Transfer the mixture, including the olive oil, to a medium (10-inch) sauté pan. Heat over medium heat until the oil begins to sizzle. Lower the heat and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the olives and garlic are heated through and fragrant. Serve warm right from the pan or transfer to a serving dish. Offer a small dish for the pits.

GREEK MARINATED OLIVES

Steps:

• Use a zester to remove the rind from lemon.
• Place the olives in a large glass or ceramic bowl.
• Combine the lemon rind, oil, oregano, pepper and bay leaf in a large jug. Pour the oil mixture over the olives and stir to combine.
• Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight to develop the flavours.
• Remove from the fridge 1 hour before serving to bring to room temperature. Transfer to a serving bowl to serve.

BRINED AND MARINATED GREEK-STYLE OLIVES

Steps:

• Sort olives by color/ripeness into different bowls. Green, mostly green, half green/purple, mostly purple, purple.
• Clean olives thoroughly by rinsing under water (work in batches).
• Use a paring knife to score/cut an "X" in each olive. This allows the brine to more easily leach the bitterness out of the olive.
• Once a whole color-batch is scored, place in a one-gallon pickle jar with a brine of 8oz sea salt to water. Swish the brine throughly so that all the salt gets dissolved instead of settling to the bottom. Fill with water to almost the top. Use a ziploc baggie with some water in it to weight the olives. It is very important to keep all olives submerged to avoid mold problems. Leave the lid loose and put in a cool, dark place.
• After one week, switch to a stronger brine of 1lb salt/gallon. I like to rinse the olives and sterilize the jars at this point. The smell and sensation of the clean, rinsed olives may blow your mind. I also use a new batch of clean ziplocs at this point to weight the olives. Keep those babies submerged!
• After 2 weeks, replace brine again as above. Close lids firmly.
• Replace brine as many times as necessary to achieve a taste you like (realizing they will be REALLY salty just out of the brine, even rinsed). I usually switch the brine 3 -4 times, 1 -2 weeks apart. Greener olives will take longer than purple olives.
• When they've been brined to your satisfaction, the fun begins! Rinse throughly. Pack in sterilized jars to 2/3 full.
• Add organic lemon slices (3-4 per jar), a whole or minced clove of garlic, and a teaspoon or so or dried oregano. Fill with vinegar (I like white vinegar for green olives and red wine for purples) and one teaspoon of salt to one inch below top of jar.
• Add 1/2 inch of olive oil.
• Seal firmly and agitate the mixture, then store in a cool, dark, place.
• Once opened, these must be refrigerated. Bring them back to room temperature before serving to avoid a weird lumpy oil crud covering your beloved olives. Refrigerate any leftovers.
• Play with the marinades - I like to do the green ones with hot peppers and carrots. Try different vinegars and herbs. A couple of years ago, I did a Thai theme, with ginger, lemon grass, hot peppers, and white vinegar. Delish!
• I have found when I give these as gifts, people do not always use them, and that is a big bummer considering all the work that goes into them and how incredibly delicious they are. Better to bring them to a party to show them off, then tell people about the process. (Plus, you get to enjoy them, too).

FETA CHEESE AND MARINATED GREEK OLIVES

Steps:

• Drizzle feta with olive oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle with oregano and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, or marinate in the refrigerator overnight. Serve at room temperature.;
• Combine all ingredients in a heavy duty resealable bag (preferably freezer bag). Remove all air from bag prior to sealing. Refrigerate and let olives marinate overnight, turning once. Remove contents of bag to serving bowl.;

GREEK OLIVE MEDLEY

Steps:

• Combine olives, Greek peppers, garlic, marinated mushrooms, cherry tomatoes in a large bowl and toss.
• Add Greek seasoning, fresh Greek oregano, parsley, Kalamata balsamic vinegar, Greek olive oil and toss.
• Cover with plastic and let stand for 2-hours.
• Place olives in a bowl to serve or on a platter.
• Garnish with Fresh Chopped Oregano and Feta Cheese.

MARINATED FETA WITH GREEK OLIVES APPETIZER

Steps:

• Combine the peppers, feta and olives in a large bowl.
• Add the olive oil and toss gently.
• Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently again.
• Adjust seasonings, cover and chill at least 5 hours before serving.
• Serve this with toasted pita bread as an appetizer.

GREEK OLIVE TAPENADE

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse olives with garlic until finely chopped. Add oil and parsley; pulse until combined. Serve with toasted baguette slices.

MARINATED MOZZARELLA, OLIVES AND CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Put cherry tomatoes in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add the olives and toss.
• In a small bowl, stir together olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano and red-pepper flakes. Pour mixture over tomatoes and olives. Toss well to coat and let sit for at least 10 minutes and up to an hour.
• When ready to eat, arrange mozzarella in the center of a large platter (or arrange on individual plates). Spoon tomato and olive mixture over mozzarella. Garnish with lots of basil leaves.

MARINATED GREEK OLIVES WITH GRAPE TOMATOES AND FETA CHEESE

Steps:

• For the Olives- Combine all ingredients in a large resealable freezer bag.
• Remove all the air you can and refrigerate for 24 hours, turning 2 or 3 times.
• For the Cheese and Tomatoes- Drizzle the feta and tomatoes with the oil and lemon juice.
• Sprinkle with the oregano and pepper, tossing well.
• Cover and let stand for 30 minutes at room temp.
• Combine the olives with the feta and tomatoes, tossing well.
• Serve.