My brain is completely empty today, but thankfully I remembered about these yummy olives. I made them a couple of weeks ago to serve with aperitifs when some dear friends came to dinner. I served them alongside slices of pain levain, from Della Fattoria, some amazing Sicilian salami with orange and anise from Fatted Calf and a vibrant bottle of chilly vinho verde . They were a huge hit and the leftover seasoned olive oil is perfect for dipping those slices of pain levain.
I used two particularly fascinating ingredients for this one you may have heard of; preserved lemons and one you may not; urfa pepper. The salty pungent lemons add a little variety and interest to your run of the mill dish of olives while the urfa pepper adds a rich earthy tone with a mild kick of spice.
Enjoy, and sorry for the scanty post this week. I’ll deliver a better read next time.
8 oz. Your Favorite Olives, drained and pitted (seriously, no one likes fishing pits out of their mouth)
2 Preserved Lemons, chopped into bite sized pieces
1/4 tsp Turkish Urfa Pepper
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1/4 tsp Fresh Thyme Leaves
1/4 cup Olive Oil (use something fresh and full bodied)
Combine the ingredients in a little dish, stir and allow to meld for an hour or so.
The whole spread seems fabulous to me, from the Sicilian salami all the way down to dipping the pain levain into the seasoned olive oil.
Denise, It really was! Actually I forgot to mention the wedge of idiazabal cheese I had on the board as well, such yummy cheese.
I always have plenty of my preserved lemons (it’s one thing that can be done with the tons of fruit our tree produces every year – aside from mead), but the Turkish pepper is not familiar. Is there a comparable substitute? Paprika? Or a variety of fresh chilies?
Claudia, You are very lucky to have a lemon tree! I am feeling a little green.
) The closest flavor profile will be from the Aleppo Pepper, I believe either can be found at either the World Spice or Whole Spice websites.
Simple and lovely! Home-marinated olives have such better (and bigger) flavor than store-bought marinated olives. My current favorite olives are these bright green, meaty olives whose name I can’t remember, but I think they’d be fabulous with this treatment.
Did you have to order the urfa pepper online?
Jen, No, I got mine at The Spanish Table in Mill Valley. I believe they have another location in Berkley that may be closer to you.
My favorite green olive of the moment is the arbequina. I’ve had the oil, but we ate the olives in Spain and they are absolutely gorgeous.
OMG I freaking love olives. And I am really curious about urfa pepper. You are right, I am not familiar with it, which is highly unusual seeing as pepper is probably my favorite “spice” (whether it be cracked black, white, cayenne, chipotle etc…). Definitely gonna try this recipe out! Thanks!
Ashley, I love pepper in all its forms, but most especially black pepper. The warmth it conveys is so different and complex than any other. Urfa pepper is fast becoming another favorite, the earthy flavor is really gorgeous.