Greek Marinated Olives Recipes

GREEK MARINATED OLIVES

Steps:

• Empty olives from jar into a strainer. Give a quick rinse to remove brine.
• We can use the jar the olives came in.*
• Add the oregano, garlic, lemon zest, lemon, bay leaf, pepper, and olive oil to the jar - mix.
• Add olives.
• Add extra olive oil to fill up, and seal.
• Turn upside down so everything is mixed up (give it a shake or two)
• Place it in the refrigerator for 24hrs.
• Serve when desired.*

BRINED AND MARINATED GREEK-STYLE OLIVES

Steps:

• Sort olives by color/ripeness into different bowls. Green, mostly green, half green/purple, mostly purple, purple.
• Clean olives thoroughly by rinsing under water (work in batches).
• Use a paring knife to score/cut an "X" in each olive. This allows the brine to more easily leach the bitterness out of the olive.
• Once a whole color-batch is scored, place in a one-gallon pickle jar with a brine of 8oz sea salt to water. Swish the brine throughly so that all the salt gets dissolved instead of settling to the bottom. Fill with water to almost the top. Use a ziploc baggie with some water in it to weight the olives. It is very important to keep all olives submerged to avoid mold problems. Leave the lid loose and put in a cool, dark place.
• After one week, switch to a stronger brine of 1lb salt/gallon. I like to rinse the olives and sterilize the jars at this point. The smell and sensation of the clean, rinsed olives may blow your mind. I also use a new batch of clean ziplocs at this point to weight the olives. Keep those babies submerged!
• After 2 weeks, replace brine again as above. Close lids firmly.
• Replace brine as many times as necessary to achieve a taste you like (realizing they will be REALLY salty just out of the brine, even rinsed). I usually switch the brine 3 -4 times, 1 -2 weeks apart. Greener olives will take longer than purple olives.
• When they've been brined to your satisfaction, the fun begins! Rinse throughly. Pack in sterilized jars to 2/3 full.
• Add organic lemon slices (3-4 per jar), a whole or minced clove of garlic, and a teaspoon or so or dried oregano. Fill with vinegar (I like white vinegar for green olives and red wine for purples) and one teaspoon of salt to one inch below top of jar.
• Add 1/2 inch of olive oil.
• Seal firmly and agitate the mixture, then store in a cool, dark, place.
• Once opened, these must be refrigerated. Bring them back to room temperature before serving to avoid a weird lumpy oil crud covering your beloved olives. Refrigerate any leftovers.
• Play with the marinades - I like to do the green ones with hot peppers and carrots. Try different vinegars and herbs. A couple of years ago, I did a Thai theme, with ginger, lemon grass, hot peppers, and white vinegar. Delish!
• I have found when I give these as gifts, people do not always use them, and that is a big bummer considering all the work that goes into them and how incredibly delicious they are. Better to bring them to a party to show them off, then tell people about the process. (Plus, you get to enjoy them, too).

GREEK MARINATED OLIVES

Steps:

• Use a zester to remove the rind from lemon.
• Place the olives in a large glass or ceramic bowl.
• Combine the lemon rind, oil, oregano, pepper and bay leaf in a large jug. Pour the oil mixture over the olives and stir to combine.
• Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight to develop the flavours.
• Remove from the fridge 1 hour before serving to bring to room temperature. Transfer to a serving bowl to serve.

FETA CHEESE AND MARINATED GREEK OLIVES

Steps:

• Drizzle feta with olive oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle with oregano and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, or marinate in the refrigerator overnight. Serve at room temperature.;
• Combine all ingredients in a heavy duty resealable bag (preferably freezer bag). Remove all air from bag prior to sealing. Refrigerate and let olives marinate overnight, turning once. Remove contents of bag to serving bowl.;

WARM GREEK GARDEN OLIVES

Steps:

• In a skillet, heat the olive oil over low heat. When the oil is warmed up, add the garlic cloves and lemon rinds. When the garlic cloves are sizzling in the oil, add the oregano.
• Dry the olives with a paper towel to remove excess moisture and add to the skillet. Season with black pepper and toss to combine.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

MARINATED OLIVES AND FETA CHEESE

Steps:

• Mix all olives, 3/4 cup oil, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, garlic, parsley, lemon peel, 1/2 teaspoon oregano and red pepper in resealable plastic bag. Chill overnight. Place feta on platter. Drizzle with 1/4 cup oil and 3 tablespoons lemon juice. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon oregano and black pepper. Chill at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Place olives and marinade in bowl. Serve olives and feta with pita bread.

GREEK CHICKEN MARINADE

Steps:

• Combine onion powder, garlic powder, basil, oregano, and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in olive oil and lemon juice.

GREEK OLIVE TAPENADE

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse olives with garlic until finely chopped. Add oil and parsley; pulse until combined. Serve with toasted baguette slices.

MARINATED OLIVES

Steps:

• Place olives in a bowl. Combine the remaining ingredients; pour over olives and stir. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 days before serving, stirring several times each day. , Olives may be refrigerated for 2 weeks. Serve with a slotted spoon.

MARINATED GREEN BEANS WITH OLIVES, TOMATOES, AND FETA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat and drop in the green beans; cook until slightly tender, but still crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately drain the green beans and plunge into ice water to stop the beans from cooking further. Drain the beans and place them in a shallow serving dish.
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic in the oil for about 30 seconds. Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the olives, tomatoes, vinegar, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture over green beans. Toss together until beans are evenly coated. Sprinkle feta cheese over the top and garnish with oregano sprigs. Chill at least 3 hours before serving.

GREEK MARINATED ROASTED PEPPERS, OLIVES AND FETA

Steps:

• Set oven control to broil. Place bell peppers on cookie sheet. Broil with tops about 5 inches from heat, turning occasionally, until skin is blistered and evenly browned. Place peppers in a plastic bag and close tightly. Let stand 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in tightly covered container, shake oil, lemon juice, parsley, onion, oregano and garlic.
• Remove skins, stems, seeds and membranes from peppers. Cut peppers into 1-inch pieces. In glass bowl or jar, place peppers, olives and cheese. Pour marinade over pepper mixture. To serve, use slotted spoon. Serve with baguette slices.