Corcoran Street Kitchen: Citrus Marinated Olives

I do not eat olives. Other people do. They look so beautiful, siting there in their brine and I want to love them. I'm just not that into them. However, making them myself really appealed to me. These are the perfect treat to put out with appetizers. The fact that they are beyond easy to make and super economical is juts an added bonus. You take relatively inexpensive, plain olives from a can and dress them up with herbs, oil, and citrus peel. All easy, inexpensive things. The end result are bright, citrus-y, and full of flavor (or at least that is what people told me). These would make a great addition to any holiday or New Years cocktail party. You make them a day or even 2-3 days in advance and serve them room temperature. No fussing, but still they are homemade. They are good to keep in your back pocket this season (not literally, of course - they would probably be a bad thing to keep in your actual back pocket).

Citrus Marinated Olives
Ingredients:
1 can green olives
1 can black olives
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic
peel from 1/2 lemon
1 Rosemary spring (or 1 tsp. dried)
2-3 Thyme springs (or 2 tsp. dried)

1. Peel and smash the garlic clove.

2. With a vegetable peeler, peel 1/2 the lemon and slice the peel into thin strips.

3. Over low heat, warm the olive oil in a pan. Add the lemon peel, herbs, and garlic. The oil should really be warm, not hot. You are infusing it with flavors, not frying.
4. After warming the other ingredients together with the oil for 5 minutes or so, toss in the olives and cook for another 2-3 minutes.