Olives With Fresh Bay Leaves 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.

WARM SPICED OLIVES

Steps:

• In a medium pot over low flame, add the olives, olive oil, lemon rind, bay leaves and spices. Stir occasionally and warm for 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve warm.

CITRUS-SPICED MIXED OLIVES

Steps:

• Put the olive oil, garlic, red pepper, herbs, and citrus zests in a medium skillet. Heat over medium-high heat, swirling the pan until the mixture is fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the olives, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is golden and the zest begins to curl, about 5 minutes more. Discard and remove bay leaves, if using. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Glossy, plump, and gorgeous, our Citrus-Spiced Mixed Olives are primo party starters. Toss 'em together, then leave them out while you mingle with your guests.

MARINATED OLIVES

Steps:

• Combine the olive oil, vinegar, bay leaves and garlic in a small saucepan and heat just until warm over low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon rind, thyme, rosemary and fennel seeds.
• Place the olives in a wide mouthed jar and pour in the olive oil mixture. Shake the jar to coat the olives. Refrigerate for two hours or for up to two weeks. Shake the jar a few times a day to redistribute the seasonings.

MARINATED OLIVES

Steps:

• Warm the olive oil in a frying pan with the rosemary sprigs, garlic, bay leaves and oregano and cook gently, stirring for 5 minutes to infuse the oil.
• Add the olives and toss well to coat in the spiced oil, then cook gently, stirring occasionally, for 5 - 10 minutes until soft and shiny.
• Use a slotted spoon to transfer olives, garlic, bay leaves and herbs to a rustic serving dish and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

GRILLED POMPANO AND SHRIMP WITH LEMON, OLIVES, AND BAY LEAVES

Steps:

• Prepare grill. Soak skewers in warm water 30 minutes.
• With a sharp knife slit skin of pompano along center of each piece to keep skin from curling when grilling. Shell shrimp, leaving tail and connecting shell segment intact, and thread 4 shrimp onto each skewer. Brush shrimp and pompano all over with additional olive oil.
• With a sharp knife cut ends from lemons. Standing each lemon on a cut side, cut rind and pith from lemon, exposing flesh. Cut lemon segments free from membranes. Discard coarse stems from spinach. Flatten olives, a few at a time, with flat side of a large heavy knife to loosen pit from flesh and discard pits. In a small saucepan stir together olives, extra-virgin olive oil, bay leaves, and a pinch salt.
• Season shrimp and pompano with salt and pepper and grill on a lightly oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals until just cooked through, about 3 minutes on each side. (Alternatively, grill seafood in a hot well-seasoned ridged grill pan over moderately high heat.) Transfer seafood with tongs to a platter and keep warm, covered. Heat olive mixture over low heat until warm.
• In a 12-inch skillet heat remaining tablespoon olive oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté spinach, stirring and turning it with tongs, until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Season spinach with salt and pepper.
• Serve seafood over spinach, topped with lemon segments and olive mixture.

POTATOES ROASTED WITH OLIVE OIL AND BAY LEAVES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Using small sharp knife and working on 1 potato, make 5 crosswise vertical cuts, spaced evenly apart, from 1 side to other side (do not cut through). Place potato in 13x9x2-inch broilerproof baking dish. Repeat with remaining potatoes. Add some of oil to dish and toss potatoes to coat. Slide 1 bay leaf into each cut in each potato. Mix salt, herbs, and pepper in small bowl and sprinkle over potatoes. Roast potatoes until tender, about 55 minutes. Remove dish from oven. Preheat broiler. Drizzle remaining oil over potatoes. Broil until potatoes begin to brown, about 4 minutes.
• *A dried herb mixture available at specialty foods stores and in the spice section of some supermarkets. A combination of dried thyme, basil, savory, and fennel seeds can be substituted.