So Many Dishes

This weekend was a really busy one. As I mentioned in my previous post, we had our early Christmas celebration for Luke, before he goes to spend the holidays with his dad and paternal grandmother in New York. And no, this is not the post about that dinner—I promise it’s coming. In addition, we also were involved in a celebration for the music director at our church, who just got married.

No one knew that Pat, our music director, and Karla got married until after the fact. They clearly weren’t going to have a big wedding. Karla is from Mexico, and they are putting every penny available toward her immigration application. But our congregation loves a good party, so our after-service social hour turned into a mini-reception on Sunday. Several of us in the music ministry agreed to help with food. My quandary was what to contribute, especially since my time was going to be limited. Trust Ken to find the perfect recipe: citrus spiced olives.

Olives are a staple in our kitchen. We are regulars at the Whole Foods olive bar, stocking up on Kalamata olives for recipes, salads, and eating out of hand. We’re never without a jar of manzanilla olives, either. Ken and I like other varieties, too, but those are our “standards.”

I made a trip to Whole Foods, looking for mix of pitted olives. All of the mixed olives on the olive bar were already marinated; I think there were three different options. I decided to divide my purchase equally between Kalamata and Castelvetrano olives. The latter are from Sicily, and are considered a mild olive. They are somewhat sweet, and worked perfectly with my marinade.

The recipe comes from the Taste of Home Mediterranean Made Easy cookbook that I’ve mentioned before. It probably only took about 15 minutes to assemble, and the olives marinated overnight. The recipe calls for a salt-free seasoning blend, and I used Penzey’s Mural of Flavor, a Mediterranean-inspired blend that includes orange and lemon peel. It perfectly complemented the citrus juices and zests in the marinade.

I was really happy with the results. I had a holiday-themed plastic container to pack the olives in, and Ken voiced his hope that the olives wouldn’t all fit. (I kept back enough for us to have a few to nibble on before dinner). Plus, I had a request for the recipe. That’s a win! Best of all, it was wonderful to celebrate Pat and Karla and toast their happiness together.

Citrus Spiced Olives

• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 3 tablespoons salt-free seasoning blend
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I used the smaller amount, but it def could have used more)
• 2 teaspoons each grated orange, lemon, and lime zest
• 3 tablespoons each fresh orange, lemon, and lime juices
• 4 cups pitted mixed olives

In a large, combine wine, oil, seasoning blend, garlic powder, and pepper flakes. Add citrus zest and juices; whisk until well blended. Add olives, and toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, at least 4 hours before serving.

Happy eating!