Warm Olives with Rosemary, Garlic and Lemon

• Recipe by Marc Murphy

Murphy serves these olives warm to accentuate the marinade's lemony flavor. To match, Lombardo suggests the 2001 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Parallèle 45, a blend of Grenache and Syrah from France's Rhône Valley. "This pairing is a fun one," he says. "The wine is all about candied cherries, which makes it a cool match with the savory olives."

Ingredients

1. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2. Strips of zest from 1 small lemon
3. 1 small rosemary sprig
4. 2 small garlic cloves, thickly sliced
5. 1 pound mixed oil- and brine-cured olives, such as Kalamata, Niçoise, Moroccan, cracked green Sicilian and Cerignola (3 cups)

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the oil with the lemon zest, rosemary and garlic and cook over moderate heat until the garlic just begins to brown, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the olives and let stand for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Make Ahead

The olives can be prepared up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated; warm gently before serving.

Notes

Cooking Club Tip: Variations on this hors d’oeuvre are endless. Play with different mixtures of herbs or add crushed red pepper.

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