I am not a fan of olives. I just never got into them. I love foods with a tang: capers, anchovies, and vinegars. But olives, no, I find the flavor too intense and direct. I have been told, by my olive-loving wife, that I just need to taste more. I have yet to summon the courage.

However, I do care about Suzen’s passion for olives, so when I open great tapas book Barcelona, based on the fabulous Barcelona chain of wine bars, I saw just the recipe for her. And maybe for me.

As I said, I find the taste of a single olive just too monotone. So here’s a way to really extend the “olive” experience. First, these olives are roasted and eaten at room temperature. Or, I find them exceptionally good “hot” out of the oven. By adding the taste of herbs, orange zest, and vinegars, you surround the olive with an abundance of complementary smells and flavors that truly change that taste in your mouth. There is more flavor, better flavor.

I like this dish. Really. Our recent dinner party guests were awed, saying they had never had anything like this.

Their reaction should be expected. The authors of Barcelona have commented that they spent three years experimenting to get the “right olive recipe.”

Try this very interesting recipe and you, too, will want to congratulate them for such a job well done. It’s different and delicious.

Roasted Olives

Ingredients:

1 red bell pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups assorted olives with pits [kalamata, Nicoise, Arbequina, Cerignola, picholine and oil-cured black olives], drained and patted dry
7 sprigs thyme, quartered
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, quartered
6 whole cloves garlic, peeled
Julienned zest of 1 orange
¼ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
¼ cup wine vinegar
¼ cup sherry vinegar
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Rub the bell pepper with the tablespoon of olive oil. Lay the pepper on a baking sheet and roast for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the side of the pepper resting on the baking sheet is wrinkled and almost black. Turn the pepper over and continue roasting for 7 to 8 minutes longer, or until the pepper is nicely charred on all sides.

Transfer the pepper to a small bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the pepper steam as it cools in the bowl for about 10 minutes. Remove from the bowl, rub off the charred skin, open the pepper, and scrape out the seeds and membranes. Cut the pepper into very thin strips (about ⅛ inch thick).

Reduce the oven temperature to 425°F.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the olive, julienned red pepper, thyme, rosemary, garlic, orange zest, and pepper flakes. Toss well. Add the red wine vinegar and sherry vinegar to the olive and stir to distribute evenly.

Spread the olives on a jelly roll or shallow roasting pan. Roast for about 35 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the olives are tender. To test for doneness, taste an olive to see if the meat separates easily from the pit. If so, the olives are done.

Let the olives cool in the pan. When cool, drizzle with the extra-virgin olive oil and stir to mix. Serve right away or refrigerate in a container with a tight-fitting lid for up to 5 days.

Remove the olives from the refrigerator at least 2 hours before serving to let them reach room temperature. Stir well before serving.

Source: Barcelona by Sasa Mahr-Batuz and Andy Pforzheimer