For company
Spicy marinated Queen olives
Warm, fragrant, addictive — the bowl I put out before every gathering, and the first one to be emptied. Epicurious's recipe, with Queen olives only.
I have served these at every event before and since I first made them, and I will keep serving them forever. Always Queen olives — there's a reason they're called the queen of olives. Big, meaty, buttery, and they hold up to all that warm spiced oil without going soft. I buy mine from Woolworths — their pitted Queen olives are perfect for this.
Method
- 01
Drain the olives well and pat them dry — wet olives will spit when they hit the oil.
- 02
In a small saucepan, combine the olive oil, lemon and orange peel, garlic, rosemary, thyme, bay, fennel and coriander seeds, chilli flakes and dried chilli. Warm gently over low heat for 8–10 minutes — you want the oil to shimmer and smell fragrant, never to fry. The garlic should just turn pale gold.
- 03
Add the olives and warm through for 2–3 minutes, swirling the pan, until they're glossy and infused. Squeeze in a little lemon juice off the heat.
- 04
Tip everything — oil, aromatics and olives — into a clean jar or bowl and let it cool. Refrigerate overnight (or up to two weeks) for the flavours to deepen.
- 05
Before serving, bring back to room temperature and warm gently for a few minutes so the oil loosens and the olives are just-warm. Tip into a pretty bowl with a small empty bowl alongside for pits, and put them where the wine is being poured.
Keep cooking
