Moroccan Herbed 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.

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.

MOROCCAN HERBED OLIVES

Steps:

• Rinse olives under cold running water; drain.
• Place in 1-quart jar with tight-fitting lid.
• Mix remaining ingredients; pour over olives.
• Cover tightly and refrigerate, turning jar upside down occasionally, 1 to 2 weeks.
• Serve at room temperature.
• These keep well if tightly covered and refrigerated.

MOROCCAN CHILI OLIVES

Steps:

• Place the olives in a medium saucepan, add water to cover, bring to a boil, then drain.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat.
• Stir in the garlic, then the tomato paste and sauté until the paste begins to darken, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, water, lemon slices, cayenne, cumin, salt, and pepper.
• Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the olives.
• Discard the lemon slices and let cool.
• Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.
• Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• Serve at room temperature.

MARINATED MOROCCAN OLIVES

Steps:

• In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine olive oil, pepper flakes, garlic, coriander and cumin. Squeeze the lemon juice and add the lemon wedges, the olives, and mix well.
• Cover and refrigerate overnight. Leave out at room temperature for a few hours before serving.