This recipe is a really simple one, but adds that homemade (and classy) touch when you have friends or family over. It's also a great excuse to bust out the gin! The key to success here is to use quality ingredients. Mushy olives, dried rosemary and lemon juice will NOT do. Honestly, this takes 2 minutes to prepare - spend the extra time dropping into your local market or high end food store to buy the stuff.
These olives can be added to a cheese board, served with some warm crusty bread or just with a few toothpicks on the side. While the recipe calls for gin, I like to serve these with a glass of bubbly. I'm not saying these would not be delicious with a refreshing G&T, but the bubbles do a great job of cutting across the rich olive oil and really satisfy the salty aftertaste of the olive.
You know what, I say try with both! Or a light red, pinot noir perhaps? Leave a comment and let me know what was your favourite combo!
Gin Soaked Olives
Ingredients
- 8 oz pitted olives - I used a combination of kalamata and green, but you could use just green (don't use just kalamata, they are not firm enough)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup gin (I used Gunpowder Irish Gin)
- 4 shaved lemon peel strips
- 2 springs rosemary
- Salt and Pepper, for seasoning
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 350F
- Step 2 Combine olives, olive oil, gin, lemon peels, rosemary and salt and pepper in a shallow oven-proof dish.
- Step 3 Bake for 30 minutes. Remove and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Serve warm.