Name: Warm Marinated Olives
Total time: 25 min
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients: 1 orange; ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil; 2 cups pitted brine-cured green olives; 2 cups pitted brine-cured black olives; 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence; 2 teaspoons coriander seeds, crushed; ¼-½ teaspoon red pepper flakes; 6 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar; crusty bread

Why This Recipe Works

We wanted a bold marinated olive recipe without the wait, packed with flavor from the skillet. To make it, we infused olive oil with thinly sliced strips of orange zest before adding olives, herbes de Provence, coriander seeds, and red pepper flakes. We allowed the olives and spices to cook for 5 minutes, warming the olives while toasting the spices. We used a combination of pitted black and green olives for diverse flavors and textures. (Black olives offered a softer texture with slightly floral or smoky flavors, some with hits of red wine or whiskey. Green olives offered a meatier texture and a flavor varying from buttery to ultrabriny, some with hints of vermouth.) Using pitted olives allowed the spices to get trapped in the holes left by the removed pits, flavoring the olives inside and out. These olives are a poppable snack with a bonus spiced dipping oil for crusty bread.

Before You Begin

To crush the coriander seeds, place them in a zipper-lock bag and press or gently pound with a skillet, rolling pin, or meat mallet. For spicier olives, use the full 1/2teaspoon of red pepper flakes. We like the combination of niçoise and picholine olives or kalamatas and Castelvetranos, but if you can’t find them, you can substitute any black or green olives without pimentos. For the best results, use a good-quality extra-virgin olive oil here. Olives with pits can be used, but remember to set out a small bowl for the pits.

Instructions

Using vegetable peeler, remove four 2-inch strips of zest from orange. Slice each strip thin lengthwise. Heat oil and zest in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until zest is fragrant and begins to curl, about 3 minutes. Add olives, herbes de Provence, coriander seeds, and pepper flakes and cook until spices are toasted and olives are sizzling, about 5 minutes.

Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Off heat, stir in vinegar. Let olive mixture sit in skillet until cooled slightly, about 5 minutes. Serve (directly from skillet or in large shallow serving bowl) with crusty bread. (Marinated olives can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. Let sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving or reheat in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until warm, about 3 minutes.)