Baked Black Olives

Baked black olives are a simple and flavorful dish, perfect as an appetizer or as a snack. Here is the recipe with a small Italian twist:

Ingredients

• 500 g of high-quality black olives, preferably from Gaeta or Taggiasca
• 2 cloves of garlic
• A few sprigs of fresh rosemary
• Some bay leaves
• Zest of 1 lemon (organic if possible)
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• Chili powder (optional)
• Coarse salt (if necessary, depending on whether the olives are already salted or not)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Wash the olives and dry them well with paper towels.
3. Take a baking tray and line it with parchment paper.
4. Spread the olives on the tray in a single layer.
5. Peel the garlic cloves and lightly crush them with the flat side of a knife.
6. Distribute the garlic cloves, rosemary, bay leaves, and thinly sliced lemon zest among the olives.
7. Season with an Italian touch by drizzling over some extra virgin olive oil and, if you like a spicy kick, a pinch of chili powder.
8. Mix everything together to evenly coat the olives.
9. Place in the oven and cook for about 15-20 minutes, until the olives are slightly wrinkled on the surface but still soft.
10. Taste an olive and, if necessary, adjust the salt (be careful: many olives are already salty on their own).
11. Remove from the oven and let cool before serving.

The olives can be enjoyed either warm or at room temperature.

Curiosity

Baking enhances the flavor of the olives, making them ideal to accompany an Italian aperitif with a glass of fresh white wine or a light cocktail like an Aperol Spritz. The cooking also makes the flesh of the olives softer, and the scents of aromatic herbs such as rosemary and bay leaf along with the lemon zest add an irresistible Mediterranean fragrance to the dish.