Did you know that heat brings out the flavor in olive? Think about the olives on a pizza… they are so good. And a reason for that is that they are baked!
When making olive pesto, one of the key tricks is to pan fry the olives, to allow their flavor to develop.
Thank’s to Pa Russy and his mother who immigrated from Greece, we are a little spoiled for olives! Fat juicy Kalamata olives. A while back Nick and I made a trick into the desert to this beautiful little olive farm to fill the back of the truck (here they call them bakkies) with raw olives! When we got home, we had our work cut out processing them all! But it is so worth it.
Anyways, what happens when you are spoilt for olives? You think of ways to make them EVEN better. My first experiment was to simply add spice. Then I had the ‘original’ idea to roast the olives. A quick google showed that this is a classic way to prepare olives to serve them as a snack / appetiser.
And what are they like? Flavor packed! Think olives on pizza kind of taste. Its that smoked, roasted, oliv-y taste that you get. I add in some herbs aswell, but you could even do them plain, they would still be great.
Ingredients
- 2-3 cups kalamata olives
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Olive oil
Instructions
- Spread olives onto a baking tray.
- Sprinkle with herbs and drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake on medium high for 15 – 20 minutes or until they become slightly wrinkled but not burnt, tossing twice in between for even roasting.
Serve in a small dish, or use (deseeded) on top of crackers or toasted bread.
