Spiced Olives With Lemon And Fennel 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.

WARMED SPICED OLIVES

Steps:

• Toast fennel seeds in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add lemon zest, bay leaves, olives, oil, and Aleppo pepper and cook, stirring, until just warmed through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve warm.

SPICED OLIVES

Steps:

• Over medium heat, warm oil in a large skillet.
• Add garlic and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes until fragrant.
• Remove garlic and discard
• Add rosemary, thyme and hot pepper flakes.
• Cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.
• Add olives, continue to stir and cook for only 2 or 3 minutes, just until until olives are warm.
• Stir in lemon peel.
• Serve and enjoy!

FENNEL BRAISED WITH OLIVE OIL AND LEMON

Steps:

• Trim the tops and bottoms from the fennel bulbs, reserving a handful of the fronds. Quarter the bulbs. Set each quarter on its side and slice off most of the core. Cut the quarters into wedges about 1-inch thick (don't worry if some pieces fall off the wedge-use those too).
• In a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Add the fennel and cook, without stirring, until golden brown on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Stir and let some more pieces brown for a minute or two.
• Stir in 1/2 cup water, scraping the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat to medium and cover the pan. Simmer, shaking the pan and adding more liquid occasionally if the pan is dry, until the fennel is very tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, chop the reserved fennel fronds and mix them with the lemon zest.
• When the fennel is tender, stir in the lemon juice and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the olives, remove from the heat and let stand for about 1 minute to warm the olives. Transfer the fennel to a platter. Sprinkle the fennel frond mixture over the top, drizzle with additional olive oil and serve.

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.

LEMON FENNEL OLIVES

Steps:

• Put a layer of olives in the bottom of a glass jar. Add several slices of lemon, fennel and garlic, and sprinkle with grains of pepper and some fennel seeds. Continue layering olives and flavorings until jar is full. Cover olives with oil and set aside to store in a cool dark place until ready to give or serve.

FENNEL AND OLIVE RELISH

Steps:

• Cut stalks from fennel bulbs, then chop enough fronds to measure 1/4 cup. Discard remaining fronds and stalks. Quarter bulbs, then finely chop in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl.
• Stir in remaining ingredients. Let stand 1 hour for flavors to meld. Serve at room temperature.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN WITH FENNEL & OLIVES

Steps:

• Squeeze the lemon over a bowl and set the bowl aside. Cut the lemon in two, remove the pith from one half and chop the rind.
• Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the onion, fennel, ginger and garlic until soft. Add the chicken and fry for a few mins more until just browned.
• Add the lemon rind and spices, then pour in the stock. Cover and simmer for 25 mins, then add the tomatoes, olives, coriander and half the lemon juice. Cook for 5 mins more until the fennel and chicken are tender and the sauce reduced.
• Meanwhile, cook the couscous following pack instructions and stir in the chickpeas. Add more lemon juice to taste, then serve the tagine with the couscous, extra coriander and fennel fronds.

SPICED OLIVES

Steps:

• Drain olives, discarding juice; return olives to the jar. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Pour over olives; cover and refrigerate for 3-10 days, turning jar daily. Drain before serving.