Fennel, Citrus, and Sumac Olives

Some of us live in food oases, where specialty stores do the work of imagining variations on favorite appetizers and snacks. The rest of us make do with the usual suspects in the olive and pickle aisle at the grocery store. Warming olives in olive oil infused with citrus, herbs, and spices is a pretty easy way of adding variety to standard fare. It doesn't take long, looks beautiful, and feels genuinely fancy. If you don’t have ground sumac, substitute grated zest from half a lemon.

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole Castelveltrano olives

• 1 cup Kalamata olives

• Peel of 1 small navel orange

• 1 ½ teaspoons fennel seed

• 1 teaspoon dried ground sumac

• 1 small chile de arbol

• ½ cup olive oil

Let’s Do This

Step 1

Drain the olives from the brine or oil that they’re packed in. Add the orange peel, fennel seeds, sumac, and chile to a mortar & pestle. Smash everything together with a couple good pounds.

Step 2

Add the olive oil to a small (8-inch or so) sauté pan. Add the gently smashed aromatics to the pan and heat over medium until the oil begins to sizzle. Add the olives, lower the heat, and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the olives are heated through and fragrant.

Step 3

Take the pan off the heat and let sit for 15 minutes. Serve warm right from the pan or transfer to a serving dish. Don’t forget a receptacle for the pits.