This recipe for these Marinated Olives is sure to be a hit at your next cocktail party. Olive oil is gently heated and lightly scented with oregano and orange zest before adding to the olives. You will create an easy-to-make party finger food to serve your guests. These marinated olives also make the perfect addition to any cheese platter. Don’t forget to serve it with focaccia bread!
Do you like to entertain?
I love it, especially outdoor entertaining in the summer, and in particular, on long weekends.
If you are like me, you love recipes that can be made ahead of time because entertaining friends and family should be fun -both for the guests and the hosts.
Whether planning a cocktail party or hosting a wine and cheese get-together, these marinated olives are a must. The best part of this recipe is that it doesn’t involve hours of preparation. With an investment of only fifteen minutes and just a few key ingredients, these marinated olives come together in no time at all.
I can’t wait to share this cold finger food recipe with all of you… come and take a look!
How to make marinated olives
The first thing we are going to do is remove the zest from the orange. If possible, try to get long strips without the pith.
What exactly is the pith?
As you probably know, the pith is the white part situated just beneath the outer peel of any citrus fruit. Oranges, grapefruits, lemons, mandarins and limes all have this spongy white pith.
Although slightly bitter-tasting (especially the grapefruit), the pith is actually very healthy. In fact, it is a source of fiber, Vitamin C and flavonoids.
Although we need to remove the pith for our marinated olives recipe, once removed, you can freeze the pith and the next time you are making that smoothie, throw the pith in! A little nutrition boost for the win 😉
How to remove the zest from an orange:
A potato peeler or a sharp paring knife both work really well in removing the orange zest.
Using a potato peeler, hold the orange in one hand, the potato peeler in the other. Then, simply start peeling your orange.
If using a paring knife, cut off both ends of the orange. Then, stand the orange upright on your cutting board. With a very sharp knife, start cutting away the peel from the pith. As you work your way around the orange, you will get strips of orange peels.
Once you have peeled the orange, add them, along with a few pinches of red pepper flakes, to about half a cup of extra virgin olive oil and heat them together in a small saucepan, on low heat for about three minutes.
Then, remove the pot from the heat, cover and allow about ten minutes or so for the infusion to occur. We are now ready to add various olives (black or green) and minced fresh oregano to our orange-scented oil.
You have just transformed some briny olives into a citrus sensation!
These marinated olives can be used immediately, or they can be refrigerated for up to five days. If you refrigerate them, you can heat them gently for a minute or so or leave them at room temperature for about an hour before serving.
Italian Appetizers we love
Recipe inspiration
I love bookstores. And as you can probably imagine, I especially love cookbooks. Call me old-fashioned, but there is something special about flipping the pages of a cookbook and getting a feel for the recipes, especially when there is beautiful food photography.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the convenience of all the technology that surrounds us today. Think of a recipe, any recipe, and can you have access to it in just a few milliseconds.
And thanks to Google Home, it will soon all be voice-activated…
Still… I love my cookbooks.
This simple recipe is from a cookbook entitled “Simple Italian Snacks.” It is one of my go-to cookbooks when looking for original bite-sized, tapas-style outdoor entertaining ideas. The only minor change I made to this perfect recipe was to add a sprinkle of fleur de sel.
If you are looking for some other cold party appetizers, look at this recipe for these goat cheese bites. It is a little more time-consuming, but oh so very tasty.
Another staple for my summer parties is this classic tomato bruschetta. I have included a few tips for you to transform a good-tasting bruschetta into a taste sensation in this post! Don’t miss it!
And be sure to check out the next post on marinated mushrooms… another party appetizer that is a must for that cheese platter of yours! Until then…
THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.
Ciao for now,
Maria
★★★★★ If you have made this Marinated Olives recipe, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!
Recipe
Marinated Olives
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Ingredients
- 1 orange
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1-2 pinches red pepper flakes
- 2 cups olives assorted
- 1 tablespoon oregano fresh
- pinch fleur de sel optional
- oregano leaves for garnishing optional
Instructions
- With a sharp knife or vegetable peeler, remove peel from orange.
- Over low heat, combine the orange peel, olive oil and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan.
- Heat for about 3 minutes. The oil should be warm to the touch. DO NOT OVERHEAT.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat, cover and allow the orange peels to marinate for about 10 minutes.
- Add the assorted olives and the oregano and combine gently with the infused olive oil.
- Garnish with oregano leaves (if using) and a pinch of fleur de sel (if using) and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nick Romanelli
As usual Maria, a quality simple and inspired recipe to enjoy the pleasures of life. A great white wine and some delicious olives is definitely something we need. Thanks again for your creativity and generosity.
Maria
Thanks so much Nick! Buon Natale!