Olive Surprises Recipes

WARM MARINATED OLIVES

Steps:

• Drain the green and black olives from the brine or oil that they're packed in and place them in a medium bowl. Add the orange zest, garlic, fennel seeds, thyme leaves, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Pour the olive oil over the mixture, add the thyme sprigs, and toss to combine.
• Transfer the mixture, including the olive oil, to a medium (10-inch) saute pan. Heat over medium heat until the oil begins to sizzle. Lower the heat and saute for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the olives and garlic are heated through and fragrant. Serve warm right from the pan or transfer to a serving dish. Offer a small dish for the pits.

OLIVE BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Position an oven rack so it is in the top third of the oven.
• Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Stir in the olives. Using your fingers or a fork, cut the mascarpone into the flour mixture until it resembles small pebbles in the flour. Add the buttermilk and gently mix until a rough dough is formed. (Do not overmix.) Pour the mixture onto a lightly floured surface and gently gather into a 1-inch-thick square. Using a 2-inch round biscuit cutter, cut as many rounds as your square will allow. Gather the scraps once, reform and cut a few more. (You will have about 12 biscuits.) Place on a small rimmed baking sheet so that the biscuits touch each other. Bake in the top third of the oven until light golden brown and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with orange marmalade and softened salted butter on the side, if using.

OLIVE SURPRISES

Steps:

• Mix cheese, flour and cayenne. Add butter. Mix thoroughly. Flatten 1 teaspoon dough around olive. Shape into a ball. Place 2" apart on ungreased baking sheet. Cover. Chill 1 hour. Bake @400 for 15-20 minutes.

OLIVE CHEESE MELTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine olives, green onions, Cheddar cheese, curry powder, mayonnaise, and salt. Mix well.
• Spread mixture on English muffins. Cut the English muffins into fourths. Note: If you want to freeze these, now is the time! Arrange the muffin pieces on a cookie sheet.
• Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 10 minutes.

OLIVE BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter until it is soft and pale yellow. Mix in the sugar until blended, then drizzle in the olive oil and mix until combined. Add the flour and mix gently but thoroughly until the dough is smooth, then add the olives and mix until they are thoroughly incorporated into the dough.
• Place a piece of waxed or parchment paper on a work surface, and place the dough in the middle. Cover it with another piece of waxed paper or parchment paper and roll out the dough until it is about 1/4-inch thick (the dough is very sticky, and the paper makes it possible to roll out). Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes, and up to 24 hours.
• Cut out 2-inch rounds of dough and place them about 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Gather the trimmings into a ball and roll it into a 1-inch diameter log. Wrap well and refrigerate, and when you are ready to bake, cut off 1/4-inch thick rounds (this avoids over-rolling the dough).
• Bake until the scourtins are golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on wire racks.

OLIVE PUFFS

Steps:

• Cream all the ingredients except olives, knead to form a dough. Wrap around the olives individually. At this point you can place them on a cookie sheet and freeze then put them in a gallon sized bag for later, or refrigerate for at least one hour.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 16-18 mn. if refrigerated, if frozen 20-23 mn. No need to thaw.