Tips:
There’s a wide selection of olives at the supermarket deli cart. Here’s what you may be spooning up.
* Manzanilla Medium to large green olives from Spain. Available whole, pitted and stuffed with pimentos. Sometimes they’re marinated with chili flakes for a fiery kick.
* Kalamata Large black almond-shaped olives from Greece. Their colour ranges from dark black to light purple, and they have a very rich and fruity flavour.
* Niçoise Medium-size black olives from France. They have a rich, nutty flavour that’s much milder than other black olives.
* Gaeta Medium-size black olives from Italy. They look very wrinkly and have a tangy flavour.
Herbed Roasted Red Pepper
Stir 1 large, thickly sliced roasted red pepper, 1 tsp (5 mL) dried rosemary leaves and 1/2 tsp (2 mL) dried oregano leaves into olives before roasting.
Lemon Pepper
Stir 2 tsp (10 mL) finely grated lemon peel into olives and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp (2 mL) freshly ground black pepper before roasting.
