Sunday, January 11, 2009

Oil-Cured Olives Baked with White Wine and Garlic

My roommate decided to throw a game night party. Each guest was in charge of bringing either an appetizer or a dessert. Since I've been baking so much lately, I decided to go for an appetizer. Plus, making this appetizer gave me the opportunity to use my gorgeous new All-Clad stainless steel casserole that I got for Christmas!

I loved this. Unfortunately, a couple of the guests weren't olive fans. Regardless, I will definitely make this again. I really enjoyed the heightened flavor of the olives. I served it with crostini spread with goat cheese. The cool, creamy cheese was a great balance to the garlicky, briny olives. This is perfect for a dinner party, especially one with an Italian or Mediterranean theme.baked olives
Oil-Cured Olives Baked with White Wine and Garlic
Martha Stewart, The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook

Ingredients:1 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, smashed
2 c. oil-cured olives
2/3 c. dry white wine
2 tsp. fresh oregano leaves
*I sprinkled lemon zest on top for color and brightness of flavor

Directions:1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In an oven-proof skillet or casserole (I just had to throw that in!) heat the oil and smashed garlic cloves just until fragrant. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

3. Add olives and wine to pan. Put the pan in the oven, uncovered, and bake until olives are plump and the liquid is absorbed, about 15--20 minutes.

4. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with oregano and lemon zest and serve.