1 c  Olives purchased from deli
-or Middle Eastern grocery
-(green

Yield: 1 cup

Olives are often served as part of the Middle Eastern appetizer assortment
called mezze or mazza that is brought to your table with your wine, ouzo,
or arak. Anything can turn up as part of a mezze selection: octopus dressed
in olive oil and lemon, chunks of feta cheese or salami on small pieces of
bread, or a plate of creamy, tart hummus. Olives, brined, salted, or
marinated, are almost always on one of the little plates.

Middle Eastern marketplaces feature huge vats and crocks of differently
spiced olives in myriad array. Some are fleshy, some juicy, others bitter
and dense, and each is in a subtly different mainade. The marinade in this
recipe is good for almost any type of olive; it is especially delicious
with green brined olives or fleshy Greek-style ones (it even improves
California-style ripe Olives).

brine-cured, Kalamata, Greek-style, or shriveled black dry-cured) 1/4 cup
olive oil 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, lightly
crushed 1 1/2 tsp Aji Harissa, Berbere, or commercial chile-garlic paste 1
tbsp wine vinegar

1. Drain olives of any brine.

2. Slowly heat olive oil over low heat. Remove from heat and add garlic,
rosemary, chile-garlic paste, and vinegar.

3. Pour marinade over olives and let stand at least 2 hours (the flavor
gets hotter the longer it stands).

ADVANCE PREPRATION: Lasts almost forever, covered and refrigerated

VARIATION: A Mediterranean-inspired hors doeuvre.

4 ounces Montrachet or Leazay goat cheese 1 to 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1
tsp finely chopped cilantro (optional) 1 tsp medium salsa (or to taste) 1/2
tsp thyme 1 tsp olive oil Approximately 1/2 a French baguette, cut into 1/2
to 3/4 inch slices Morroccan Spiced Olives

1. Mash goat cheese with a fork. Add garlic, cilantro, salsa, thyme, and
olive oil.

2. Spread goat cheese mixture on bread slices; top each with half a pitted
marinated olive.

RECOMMENDED WINE: Enjoy with a glass of a medium-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon
with noticeable character, one from California, Chile, or Spain.