Olives Stuffed with Almonds, Anchovies and Peppers

• Recipe by José Andrés

"For me there is no better tapa than a really good stuffed olive," Andrés says. He strongly recommends homemade stuffed olives over the store-bought kind, which he proclaims are "usually terrible." Plus, if you stuff them yourself, you’ve got a million options: "If you love almonds, use good marcona almonds. If you love anchovy, use good Spanish anchovies. If you love peppers, use peppers; I like the wood-roasted piquillo peppers from Navarra. Or if you are like me, you use all three."

Ingredients

1. 36 large Sicilian olives (about 1 pound)
2. 36 salted roasted whole almonds
3. 9 oil-packed anchovy fillets, each cut lengthwise into 4 thin strips
4. 4 large piquillo peppers from a jar, drained, each cut lengthwise into 9 thin strips
5. 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6. 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
7. 1 garlic clove, minced
8. 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest

Directions

1. With the side of a large chef’s knife, lightly crush each of the olives and remove the pits, keeping the olives as intact as possible. Stuff 1 almond, 1 anchovy strip and 1 piquillo strip into each olive. Place the stuffed olives on a platter.
2. In a bowl, stir together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic and orange zest. Pour over the olives and marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

Make Ahead

The pitted olives can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before stuffing.