Olives, an essential part of the Mediterranean diet, can shine alone or compliment a favorite dish. How about bringing them up a notch with my mom's marinated olive recipe? This is a marvelous addition to your next '5 a 7' (a Montreal ritual known elsewhere as 'happy hour'). A few ingredients will do wonders to enhance the flavour of the kalamata olives. For this recipe, I buy black kalamata olives in brine and soak them overnight to remove any bitterness and to reduce the salt content. The next day I drain the olives, pat them dry with a paper towel and toss in the remaining ingredients.
Zelinda's Marinated Olives1 cup of kalamata olives in brine(soaked overnight and drained)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 garlic clove sliced
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
zest of 1 orange
canola oil (this particular oil will not solidify when refrigerated)
In a serving bowl, simply combine all the ingredients and mix. Make ahead to let the flavors meld together.
