OLIVE THE THINGS YOU WANT IN AN APPETIZER

This story was created by our partners at the Heavy Table, a weekly culinary newsletter dedicated to covering the best food and drink of the Upper Midwest. Back them on Patreon to receive four distinct email newsletters focused on dining, the restaurant business, spirits, and home cooking: http://www.patreon.com/heavytable

James Norton / Heavy Table

By James Norton

If I had to pick the appetizer I've made most frequently and successfully over the years, it would be this incredibly flexible and rewarding formula for marinated olives. The addition of spicy heat and citrus makes a big impact, rendering merely tasty olives legitimately addictive and delicious. 

You can sub in or sub out a lot of things from this recipe without breaking it. The garlic, orange juice, olive oil, and harissa are the core of this dish, but the other elements can be scaled up, scaled down, or exchanged without doing too much damage. You may well, in fact, find better ways to make this dish by playing around with the mix of pickled peppers, whole spices, and bonus bits (like preserved lemon rind.)

James Norton / Heavy Table

MARINATED OLIVES

3/4 lb. of mixed olives in brine, with pits
5 pickled mild peppers, chopped finely
1 pickled hot pepper (pepperoncini), chopped finely
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
5 black peppercorns
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
zest and juice of 1 orange
1 Tbsp harissa
1 Tbsp preserved lemon rind, roughly chopped
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Drain the olives and rinse briefly under cold water. Drain again. Place in a bowl or sealable jar with other ingredients, stir well, and leave to marinate for a couple of hours, preferably a day or two. Turn or stir 24 hours into the process if you like. These olives will keep in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. Remove the olives from the liquid and large bits and also bring them back up to room temperature before serving.