Ingredients (~8 servings)
- 10 oz green olives (Castelvetrano or Frescatrano are best here)
- 6 oz aged cheese (Gruyère, Emmental or Manchego)
- 6 garlic cloves, smashed
- ~6 large strips orange peel
- 4 fresh rosemary sprigs
- ~1 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 2 small dried chilis
- Extra-virgin olive oil (enough to cover)
Prep the Aromatics and Cheese
Start by cutting your block of cheese into ~1/2 inch cubes.
For the garlic, you want to smash the cloves with the flat side of your knife rather than mincing them. This releases the oils without making the marinade gritty with small pieces of garlic.
When peeling the orange strips, try to avoid the white pith underneath the skin as it can add a bitter taste to the oil.
Combine the Ingredients
In a medium bowl or a large mason jar, combine the olives, cheese cubes, smashed garlic, orange peels, rosemary, peppercorns, and dried chilis.
Pour in just enough extra-virgin olive oil to fully submerge the ingredients.
Allow to Marinate for ~24 Hours
Cover the container and place it in the refrigerator.
While you could eat this immediately, the flavor transfer really happens after sitting for ~24 hours. The garlic mellows out and the orange oil permeates the olives.
Bring to Room Temperature Before Serving
This is the most important step.
Because this is stored in the fridge, the olive oil will likely solidify and turn cloudy.
Take the jar out of the fridge ~30-60 minutes before you plan to serve it to allow the oil to liquefy and the cheese to soften up.
Marinated Olives and Cheese
Ingredients
Ingredients (~8 servings)
- 10 oz green olives Castelvetrano or Frescatrano are best here
- 6 oz aged cheese Gruyère, Emmental or Manchego
- 6 garlic cloves smashed
- ~6 large strips orange peel
- 4 fresh rosemary sprigs
- ~1 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 2 small dried chilis
- Extra-virgin olive oil enough to cover
Instructions
- Cut cheese into 1/2 inch cubes.
- Smash garlic cloves with knife flat side.
- Peel orange strips, avoiding white pith.
- Combine olives, cheese, garlic, orange peels, rosemary, peppercorns, and chilis in jar.
- Pour olive oil to fully cover ingredients.
- Refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Remove from fridge 30-60 minutes before serving.
- Let oil liquefy and cheese soften.
