Middle Eastern Marinated Olives Food

BEEF SHAWARMA RECIPE

Steps:

• In the bottom of large mixing bowl, add the shawarma spices. Add the olive oil, vinegar, and zest and juice of one lemon. Using a spoon, mix to combine.
• Using a chef's knife, cut the flap steak against the grain into thin bite-size slices (no more than ¼-inch in thickness).
• Add the sliced meat to the bowl. Season with kosher salt and black pepper. Add the garlic and onions. Using a pair of tongs, toss very well to make sure the meat is well-coated with the marinade. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for a few minutes (or, if you have the time, cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours).
• Heat a large cast iron grill pan or skillet over high heat. Using a pair of tongs, add the meat pieces, spreading them as much as you are able. Cook over high heat for anywhere between 8 and 15 minutes, until the meat is fully cooked. (If you like less liquid in your pan and extra char on the meat, you'll likely cook it for about 15 minutes. And if your pan is not large enough, cook the meat in batches).
• While the meat is cooking, prepare the pita pockets and fixings. Make my 3-ingredient Mediterranean salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, and parsley. Make the tahini sauce. And prepare your pickled cucumbers, if using.
• Assemble the shawarma sandwiches. Open up your pita pockets and load them up with the beef shawarma, salad, and finish with a generous drizzle of tahini sauce. Serve immediately!

MOROCCAN OLIVES WITH HARISSA RECIPE

Steps:

• Soak the olives in a bowl of water for a few hours or overnight; drain. (Or, if the olives are hard, soften them by soaking in boiling water for 15 minutes.) For better infusion of the marinade, make one or two small incisions in each olive (or gently crush them to crack the flesh of the olive).
• While the olives are soaking, make the harissa if it's not already prepared: Remove the seeds from the chile peppers then soak in hot water for a half hour or until tender enough to mash. Drain. Lightly toast the seeds in a skillet (just until fragrant) and grind them with a mortar and pestle. Add the softened chile peppers, garlic, salt, lemon juice and olive oil to the mortar and grind to a paste. Thin as desired with additional lemon juice and olive oil. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator until needed.
• Seed the preserved lemon and cut it into thin strips.
• Combine the preserved lemon with the drained olives, parsley. lemon juice and as much harissa as desired.
• If you like, a little additional olive oil or garlic can be mixed in to the olives.
• Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours (overnight is best) before serving. The olives will keep in the fridge for several weeks. Leftover harissa may be stored in the fridge as well for use as a condiment with other foods.

WARM MEDITERRANEAN OLIVES

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar, vinegar, cinnamon stick, orange peel, and olives. Season with salt and pepper.

MIDDLE EASTERN MARINATED OLIVES

Steps:

• Rinse the olives, then soak in cold water for at least 4 hours, drain.
• Combine the olives with the remaining ingredients.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 day and up to 1 week.
• Serve at room temperature.
• Variation; Add 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme.

MARINATED OLIVES

Steps:

• Put the olives in a shallow bowl, add the lemon strips and herbs; season with salt and pepper. Toss gently with your hands to combine. Cover with olive oil and let marinate for 30 to 45 minutes. Serve as a noshing platter alongside the fried zucchini flowers.

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.

CITRUS MARINATED OLIVES

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the red pepper flakes thyme, garlic, lemon zest, orange zest, salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is pale golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in the olives and cook, stirring, until just warm, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and orange juice and transfer to a decorative jar or serving bowl. Serve warm or at room temperature.

MARINATED OLIVES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Put the garlic cloves on a sheet of aluminum foil, drizzle with the olive oil and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Fold the foil over to create a sealed pouch and roast the garlic until the cloves are lightly browned and very tender, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring the orange juice, sugar and sherry vinegar to a boil in a small nonreactive saucepan. Stir in the shallots and sliced chile pepper, return to a boil, then remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Toast the fennel, coriander and mustard seeds and the peppercorns in a small sauté pan over medium heat for a few minutes, until lightly browned and very fragrant. Transfer the spices to a mortar and break up into smaller, coarsely ground pieces with a pestle.
• Combine the roasted garlic and olives with the orange juice mixture, orange zest and spices in a medium bowl. Divide among jars. Marinate in the refrigerator at least overnight and up to 1 week.
• To serve, transfer to an ovenproof serving dish and heat for about 10 minutes in a 300 degrees F oven.

GO-TO MARINATED OLIVES

Steps:

• Drain brining liquid and rinse assorted olives of your choice. Place in large jar. Combine olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a separate bowl or jar. Add remaining ingredients to olives. Pour in enough oil/vinegar mixture to just cover. Place cover on jar and shake to mix ingredients.
• Store in refrigerator. Olives can be used right away, but the flavors will be optimal after about 2 weeks or so. These are terrific eaten as is or add to salads and other dishes. Disregard nutritional info since you won't be eating the liquid, I hope.

WARM OLIVES WITH ZA'ATAR

Steps:

• Heat oil in pan over low heat. Add olives and stir gently until warm. Stir in za'atar, transfer to bowl and serve with crusty bread.