How to Make Marinated Olives

Olives and olive oil, what great foods they are and how well they combine in the worlds top appetizers, marinated olives.

Olives:
1kg green olives
500g Kalamata olives
2-3 cloves garlic (crushed)
1 chilli (chopped)
3-4 oregano leaves or
1 tsp dried oregano
1 large piece fresh ginger
(peeled and cut into thin strips)
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp fennel seeds
3-4 strips of lemon rind
(cut into small pieces) or
preserved lemons
Large quantity of extra virgin olive oil

Method:
In a bowl mix the garlic, chilli, oregano, ginger, fennel, peppercorns and lemon rind together.
Add the olives and coat them with the marinade mixture.
Place in sterilised jar and pour over olive oil to cover the olives.
Keep for a couple of days before eating.
They should keep for weeks in a cool, dry place.

Preserved Lemons:
Quantity lemons
Quantity rock salt
Quantity fresh lemon juice
Quantity extra virgin olive oil

Method:
The quantities in this recipe are entirely dependent on the size of storage jars & lemons.
Make sure the jars are sterilised and it's best to prepare this recipe using rubber gloves to avoid contamination. Preserved lemons are best 5 to 6 weeks after bottling.

Wash lemons in cold water.
Cut vertically almost into quarters without cutting right through the lemon.
Pack each lemon with the rock salt and place in a sterilised jar ramming them in as tightly as possible.

Pour in enough lemon juice to cover and a little olive oil to provide a topping of about 1 centimetre.
Seal and keep in a cool dry place for at least 3 weeks.
They keep for several weeks.