Baked Olives: Recipe

Here's an easy recipe that smells so good when it's baking, you'll wish you could bottle and sell it. The smell of hot bubbling wine, herbs and olives is so good, it ought to be illegal.

Baked olives are a great little finger-food to serve with cocktails, the perfect appetizer for a Greek dinner of spanikopita and stuffed grape leaves, or just a great little nibbler to set out before any meal.

You can serve the olives at any point after they come out of the oven, very hot to room temperature, but I think they're best if you let them cool and then refrigerate them for at least a few hours so the flavors mingle and combine.

Baked Olives

2 cups Greek kalamata olives
3/4 cup dry red wine
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp coarsely chopped garlic
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dry or fresh oregano
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
ground black pepper
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp lemon zest

1. Rinse the olives well. If they're very, very salty, let them soak in a bowl of water for an hour. Drain and rinse again.

2. Preheat the oven to 375.

3. Put the olives in a baking or casserole dish large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss with the wine, oil, chopped garlic, and bay leaf.

4. Cover and bake the olives for about 50 minutes.

5. When they come out of the oven, transfer them to a serving or storing container. Toss them with the oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, pinch black pepper, lemon zest and minced garlic.

5. Serve as an appetizer with crusty bread, a good goat cheese and plenty of wine.