Olives, sacred to Athena, infused with fresh herbs and olive oil are the perfect offering to the Greek goddess of wisdom and patron deity of Athens!
These herb marinated olives are the perfect offering to Pallas Athena, Greek goddess of wisdom and patron deity of Athens. It was Athena’s gift of the olive tree to the people of Attica that won her a high place of honour in Athens. What better way to honour Athena than with this simple snack of olives marinated in a herb infused olive oil. These delectable olives are perfect on their own, as an accompaniment to charcuterie, or even as a dip topping. Creamy whipped feta is an ideal canvas to highlight these savoury delights and is delicious served with warm homemade pita.
Ingredients
Olives: I like to use a variety of olives for this recipe. I used a mixture of kalamata and castelvetrano olives here although you can choose your favourite olives instead.
Olive oil: Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil in this recipe.
Fresh herbs: Fresh herbs add an intensity of flavour that is hard to replicate with dried. However, if fresh herbs aren’t available, you can substitute with dried instead. See recipe notes for amounts.
Garlic: Sliced whole garlic adds a punch of pungent flavour to these marinated olives.
How to make Herb Marinated Olives
Prepare the herbs and aromatics. Peel and slice the garlic cloves. Peel strips of orange zest. Chop the fresh oregano, thyme, and rosemary, saving a few whole sprigs to add to the jar. Drain the olives.
In a large jar add a layer of olives. Tuck the sprigs of herbs along the sides of the jar. Sprinkle with some of the chopped herbs, orange zest, and garlic slices. Repeat the layers until the jar is full. Cover the olives with olive oil.
Cover the jar and refrigerate for at least 24 hours or for up to a week. For safety reasons, all oil marinated products need to be stored in the fridge. The olive oil may solidify in the fridge which is normal. To serve, take the jar out of the fridge 2 to 3 hours before serving to allow the oil to come up to room temperature.
