Herb-Marinated Olives

Makes 10 cups of olives

Ingredients

  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 tsp chili flakes
  • 4 rosemary sprigs, divided
  • 2 cups extra virgin olive oil
  • peel of 1 lemon
  • peel of 1 orange
  • 2 cups Kalamata olives
  • 2 cups Niçoise olives
  • 2 cups Moroccan oil-cured olives
  • 2 cups Castelvetrano olives
  • 2 cups mixed "country" olives
  • 5-6 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed
  • 1 cup additional extra virgin olive oil to have on hand (if needed)

How-to

  1. Rinse and drain all olives to remove brine or oils
  2. In a saucepan over low heat add oil, chili flakes, garlic and 2 sprigs of rosemary, then shut off heat when the mixture is just before a simmer. Add lemon & orange peels and set aside mixture to infuse for 20 minutes
  3. Remove rosemary and garlic from oil and discard
  4. Pour warm oil over olives and add the remaining fresh rosemary (strip leaves and discard the woody stems) and thyme leaves. Toss together and marinate overnight before packing into jars
  5. To package, pack the olives tightly into sterilized jars. Spoon some of the excess infused oil over top until almost completely covering the olives. You may need to use some additional olive oil to cover all of the olives
  6. Store in the refrigerator, then remove at least 2 hours before use or before giving as a gift (the oil may solidify when cold, but will liquify again when at room temperature)