May 6, 2014
Fresh Castelventrano green olives are always in my fridge. They’re definitely one of those secret weapons I keep in my entertaining arsenal — they are the perfect appetizer offering. If you’ve been over to my house, chances are I plunked a bowl of these down with that first glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Just a bowl of olives for appetizers may not seem like enough, but these guys are damn delicious. They would steal the spotlight from anything else!
Fresh, buttery and meaty — Castelventranos deliver it all. You can get them jarred from Mezzetta, at the Whole Foods olive bar, and you can even buy them pitted — that’ll be one stellar martini. If I do want to jazz them up a bit, this recipe for marinated olives is an easy way to woo your guests.
The thing with olives is that you are always left with stragglers — you know that lonely ¼ left in the jar that never gets used up? Well, I’ve solved that problem for you with this quick olive relish. It’s bright, fresh and delicious. It’s the perfect companion to just about any simple grilled chicken or fish.
This olive relish is great on fish like halibut…
…or whole sea bass…
…or even just some grilled chicken.
Here’s the recipe, enjoy!
Chop up your Meyer lemon, peel and all.
Green Olive Relish
Makes enough to accompany four servings of protein
2 tablespoons Meyer lemon, fine chop (peel and all, but no seeds)
4 tablespoons Castelventrano olives, chopped
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated garlic
1/2 teaspoon of fresh oregano, torn
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 good pinch of red chili flakes
1 good pinch of sea salt
Mix ingredients in a bowl. Pile some on simply made chicken or fish. Dinner is served.
