1 c Olives purchased from deli -or Middle Eastern grocery -(green Yield: 1 cup Olives are often served as part of the Middle Eastern appetizer assortment called mezze or mazza that is brought to your table with your wine, ouzo, or arak. Anything can turn up as part of a mezze selection: octopus dressed in olive oil and lemon, chunks of feta cheese or salami on small pieces of bread, or a plate of creamy, tart hummus. Olives, brined, salted, or marinated, are almost always on one of the little plates. Middle Eastern marketplaces feature huge vats and crocks of differently spiced olives in myriad array. Some are fleshy, some juicy, others bitter and dense, and each is in a subtly different mainade. The marinade in this recipe is good for almost any type of olive; it is especially delicious with green brined olives or fleshy Greek-style ones (it even improves California-style ripe Olives). brine-cured, Kalamata, Greek-style, or shriveled black dry-cured) 1/4 cup olive oil 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, lightly crushed 1 1/2 tsp Aji Harissa, Berbere, or commercial chile-garlic paste 1 tbsp wine vinegar 1. Drain olives of any brine. 2. Slowly heat olive oil over low heat. Remove from heat and add garlic, rosemary, chile-garlic paste, and vinegar. 3. Pour marinade over olives and let stand at least 2 hours (the flavor gets hotter the longer it stands). ADVANCE PREPRATION: Lasts almost forever, covered and refrigerated VARIATION: A Mediterranean-inspired hors d'oeuvre. 4 ounces Montrachet or Leazay goat cheese 1 to 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 tsp finely chopped cilantro (optional) 1 tsp medium salsa (or to taste) 1/2 tsp thyme 1 tsp olive oil Approximately 1/2 a French baguette, cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inch slices Morroccan Spiced Olives 1. Mash goat cheese with a fork. Add garlic, cilantro, salsa, thyme, and olive oil. 2. Spread goat cheese mixture on bread slices; top each with half a pitted marinated olive. RECOMMENDED WINE: Enjoy with a glass of a medium-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon with noticeable character, one from California, Chile, or Spain.
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