Citrus Marinated Olives

For some reason, lately I have been thinking about being a kid. Maybe it is due to daily reminders that pop up when I see my own children. Watching them read books that I used to love or seeing the joy on their face when Mom blows a "BIG BIG BUBBLE." So naturally when I saw this recipe for marinated olives I was reminded of my childhood and putting jumbo black olives on my fingers during  lunches at my Noni's house. There are many of pictures of my sister and I sitting in our Sunday dresses with big giant black olives on the tips of our fingers like giant black balls. We would sit and wave like we were the queen holding court, while I am pretty sure our whole family laughed and thought we were all in crazy town.

Well these olives are much more sophisticated and adult.

 Crushed coriander seeds, orange, bay leaves and chili

Olives (pitted or not) marinated with the citrus for about an hour. 

Olive oil, crushed coriander seeds, garlic cloves, bay leaves and chili just hang out for a while.

The result is a great mix of spicy, sweet and salty all in one little fancy adult bite. If you wanted to put these on your fingers heck even your nose, I am sure no one would care. They taste that good.

These olives could go with just about anything. I added some sweet peppers to the mix and a bit more garlic. I did not have a really spicy chile on hand but you could really play around with the heat. Try these as a side with some cheese and crackers or even added to a salad or sandwich sans pits. They are also good right out of the jar. The orange peels also soften and pickle and are a nice sweet addition as well.

Citrus Marinated Olives
Adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

2 cups (give or take) of mixed oil packed olives 

1/2 orange, quartered into wedges and then sliced very thin.  Plus a little squeeze of the juice.

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, peeled ( you could use more depending on your taste)

1 tablespoon crushed coriander seeds

2 bay leaves

1 small red chili , halved lengthwise

Preparation

Place the mix of the olives in a bowl with the orange slices and then give a little squeeze of the juice of the remaining orange over the olive mixtures and stir. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the olive oil, garlic cloves, crushed coriander seeds, bay leaves and the red chili. Cook until the mixture is fragrant and the garlic begins to brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let steep for about 1 hour. Pour the oil mixture over the olives and stir to coat. 

The olives can marinate at room temperature for about 2 hours, or they can chill covered for up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before serving. 

Enjoy!