COMMISSIONED POST
I’m not exactly sure what is going on with the British summer at the moment. It’s currently pouring with rain and I’m all wrapped up in a blanket with a mug of tea and my candle burning. Not exactly a summery vision, eh? Well, even though it’s not summer outdoors, it doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy your own summer fiesta indoors with these flavoursome Mediterranean pickled olives.
Olives are the epitome of Mediterranean cuisine and it so happens to be one of my favourite parts of the world. I have so many happy memories holidaying abroad in the Mediterranean that I’m always happy to go back there and visit. When I made these pickled olives, it conjured up images of sunshine, culture, boat rides and beaches – ah, what I wouldn’t do for a dose of that right now. Thank goodness that I can still get my Mediterranean hit with these olives, which I always eat in bucket loads when I’m away.
Is your summer a complete washout? Reclaim your summer, by bringing the sunshine indoors with these Mediterranean pickled olives with roasted red peppers and garlic.
- 200 g Fragrata pitted black olives
- 200 g Fragrata pitted green olives
- 4 Fragata roasted red peppers sliced
- 8 Fragata garlic cloves
- Rind of one lemon sliced
- Handful of fresh thyme
- 1.5 litres water
- 4 tbsp salt
- 300 ml olive oil
- 400 ml white wine vinegar
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Make a pickling liqueur by stirring together the water and salt. Add in the olives and leave them to soak for a week, changing the water every day.
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Drain the olives and add to a large bowl. Stir in the garlic, roasted red peppers, thyme, and lemon. Pour over the vinegar and oil.
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Transfer to sterile jars and store in the fridge.
Can be stored for up to a year in a sealed jar.
If like me and thought that Fragata only produced olives, then let me enlighten you to the fact that there is so much more to them. You can explore their full range here and in this particular recipe, I used their roasted red peppers and garlic cloves, which work so well with lemon rind and fresh fragrant thyme. Pickling olives may sound like a crazy idea, but it’s actually a popular tradition in Mediterranean culture and helps to bring out the flavour of the olives. The initial brining process can take up to a week, however, once prepared the olives can be kept in a sterile sealed container for up to 12 months.
These olives are so plump and flavourful and I think it’s my most favourite olive recipes. The mix of roasted red peppers, lemon, garlic and thyme really screams summer to me and I love all of those bright colours mixed together. I like to throw these on salad, in pasta, with meat and fish, on a cheeseboard or simply served in a bowl as they are to snack on.
For more details on Fragata and their olives, please visit their Facebook and Instagram pages.
ARE YOU GOING ON HOLIDAY THIS YEAR? HOW ARE YOU MAKING THE MOST OF THE BRITISH SUMMER TIME?
*This recipe was commissioned by Fragata, but all opinions are my own.
My Other Half is Spanish and he always maintains that these are without doubt the best olives you can buy in the UK. We love the anchovy ones.
That’s great to hear that he’s such a fan!
I love Fragata olives aren’t they delicious! Your pickled olives look ideal for brightening up the summer, a must try.
Thanks Lucy! We love Fragata olives here.
Oh these look delicious. I’m an olive fiend and luckily my kids love them too so these would be a great thing to make with them. Yummy!
I love that your kids love them too!
Ooh these look so tasty. I adore pickled garlic as well as olives of course. Strangely, olives alway remind me of Scotland which is where I first had them as a chip, I remember trying to be very grown up and pretending I liked them and before I knew it I’d got used to them and really did 😀
Olives do seem to be a very grown up food don’t they! I wasn’t keen as a. Hold but now I love them.
If there’s one thing I can’t eat it’s olives – I just can’t stomach them! These do sound great though and when we have guests over we always get olives in as they are huge fans!
Those olives look really appetising and the recipe looks really easy. These would go well with anything and refreshing on a Summer’s day. Thanks for sharing.
They’re super summery. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve never been a massive fan of olives but I know my dad absolutely loves them so I’m always buying them for him x
I used to be the same, but fell in love with them in my 20s.
I love olives, especially Mediterranean olives as they taste so lovely!
They’re so tasty!
Summer? What’s that? 2017 has not been the best, has it? Oooh, I’ve seen jars like these in the shops. It’s so cool you can make them yourself!
Ha! I know. It’s been pretty rubbish!
We always put out a big bowl of olives when we have fiends round. They never last long.
They never last long here either. ?
I bet these are packed with flavour. I would love to munch on them with a glass of wine in hand!
A glass of wine would be the perfect pairing with these olives.
My mum and dad love olives and eat them out the jar constantly. I’m sure they would love these!
They sound like real olive fans!
I know the weather is so crazy! I really like the sound of these pickled olives they remind me of my Mediterranean heritage!
Those Fragrata olives look lush. The black pitted ones are my fave:)x
The black ones are gorgeous!
Wow this looks delicious and so easy to create!
Thank you!
A lot of my friends can’t stand olives and I honestly can’t understand why because I love them – they’re a great snack. I do prefer them pitted though…just to make my life easier.
I love the convenience of pitted ones too.
Honestly, I’ve tried lots of pickled food but I’ve never tried this one. I should make some!
Let me know what you think!
I love olives, particularly with pasta! I usually buy them pickled and ready to eat, but this looks very easy to make so maybe I’ll experiment with it in my free time.
It’s so easy to make your own!