It's olive season over here. The trees are being stripped and the new oil is out. We went to the frantoio last week to watch the process and buy a healthy-sized jug. The gorgeous green color and fruity yet peppery flavor is unmatched. Is it any wonder I love autumn?
While many of the local olives are being pressed, a good portion are also being cured. Most of those are destined to become the local delicacy, Olive all'Ascolana. The local olive variety, the tenera ascolana, is a behometh in the olive category, perfect for stuffing with meat and deep-frying.
Despite my addiction to the fried critters, I still love a simple dish of baked olives, too. Warm and fragrant, they're irresistable and make a nice presentation when serving guests.
Baked Olives
Mixture of black and green olives, unpitted is best
a bit of lemon or orange peel, grated
a sprinkle of chile flakes
a grating of fresh-ground pepper
a sprig of thyme and/or rosemary (fresh)
2 TBSP red wine
about 2 TBSP olive oil
Combine everything and put in an oven-proof baking dish. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes. Serve warm.
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2 comments:
Hi Valerie
This sounds so interesting. I just picked up some mixed olives yesterday.. and will try this recipe today. I'm wondering how artichokes would blend with the olives.
Hope you enjoyed them. I would think artichokes would blend in nicely, as would the lampascioni I mentioned or little oil-cured onions.
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