At Le Monde Des Épices, I delight in seeing how simple olives can be turned into a colorful appetizer by melding different kinds and colors of cured olives and doctoring them up with garlic, preserved lemons, oregano, and basil, and serving them in a large, clear bowl. Although the majority of the olives in the shop are grown in Spain and North Africa, many, like the tiny Picholines from Provence, come from the south of France. When I first visited, the olives were simply cured and kept in barrels. Now the many different- flavored varieties are displayed in attractive bowls to tempt the customers. When doctoring up olives you buy, just make sure to include some red peppers, orange kumquats, or bright- green herbs. I love to serve a variety of sizes and kinds in a clear glass or earthenware bowl. Remember to have a tiny bowl nearby for the pits.
You can vary this mix by adding to it six cloves garlic, peeled and kept whole; six red peppercorns, or a few hot red peppers cut into small pieces; or the diced rind of half a preserved lemon (see page 171).
Recipe information
Yield
2 cups
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Place the olives and some of their juice in a clear glass bowl.
Step 2
Stir in the orange zest or kumquat, the cranberries, the mixed herbs, and the cinnamon stick. Serve immediately, or keep in the refrigerator and eat at your leisure.
