Roasted Olives

Set out a bowl of these irresistible, warm from the oven, za’atar roasted olives and almonds at your next party.

Planning a holiday party menu can quickly become overwhelming with a main course, multiple sides and dessert to consider; but one thing that doesn’t need to cause stress are the appetizers.  Tasty pre-party nibbles should be quick and easy to prepare.

So if you’re looking for a simple yet sophisticated snack to start the festivities with this year then look no further than za’atar roasted olives and almonds.

These herb and spice roasted olives and almonds combine two dependable favorites into one irresistible starter for your guests to nosh on while they mingle.  These are definitely not your typical supermarket olive bar mix.  They’re salty, savory and fill the kitchen with the most enticing aroma as they come out of the oven.

Roasting olives is a simple trick that transforms an otherwise ordinary appetizer into something extra-ordinary.  The heat of the oven turns up the flavor and brings out the briny best in the olives, while the almonds are crisp, toasty and lightly coated in the most delicious seasoning.

How to make it:

1. If you’ve never tried za’atar before, it’s a blend of dried herbs with sumac and sesame seeds that jazzes up almost everything it touches.  If you have a mortar and pestle you can make it yourself or simply buy it pre-made.
2. You’ll want to be sure to use an interesting mix of un-pitted and different sized black and green olives for this (bright green Castelvetrano olives are one of my favorite olives so I always make sure to include those).
3. As for the almonds, the trick to getting them to stay crisp is a double roast in the oven; the first time on their own to toast, and then again with the za’atar, olive oil and olives to season them.  This way you get a mix of warm buttery olives and crunchy almonds that sits well together.

So ease your holiday stress by popping a batch of these in the oven next time you have friends or family over.  Happy holidays!

More things to nibble on before dinner:

• Pesto Roasted Walnuts
• Sesame Nori Roasted Cashews

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Yield: 6 Servings

Za’atar Roasted Olives and Almonds

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Set out a bowl of these irresistible, warm from the oven, za’atar roasted olives and almonds at your next party.

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Ingredients

• 1 cup/120g whole almonds
• 1 teaspoon/5ml filtered water
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 10oz/285g assorted un-pitted green and black olives, rinsed and pat dry
• Zest of ½ a lemon, cut into long strips
• 1 Tablespoon/15ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon za’atar seasoning 

Instructions

1. Preheat an oven to 375°F.
2. In a small bowl, combine the almonds, water and salt and toss to coat. Transfer almonds to a parchment lined baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile in large bowl combine olives, lemon zest, olive oil and za’atar; mix to coat.
4. Remove hot almonds from the oven and add to the olives. Mix thoroughly.
5. Spread olive almond mixture out in a single layer on parchment-lined baking sheet and return to the oven to roast for another 10-15 minutes until almonds are toasted but not brown and olives are warmed.
6. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 226Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 842mgCarbohydrates: 6gSugar: 1gProtein: 5g

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Sylvie

Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.