Marinated olives

30 MINUTES + OVERNIGHT MARINATING SERVES 6 8 AS A STARTER OR SIDE | EASY | GF

star anise 2 cinnamon sticks 2

fennel seeds 1 tsp

olive oil 375ml dried morita chiles or dried chipotle chillies 2 garlic 1 clove, thinly sliced

bay leaf 1, torn

thyme 2 sprigs oregano or marjoram 1 sprig

lemon ½, zest peeled and thinly sliced

lime ½, zest peeled and thinly sliced

orange ½, zest peeled and thinly sliced

mixed olives 700g, drained

feta to serve (optional)

1 Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Spread the star anise, cinnamon sticks and fennel seeds on a baking tray, and bake for 4 minutes until very fragrant.

2 In a small pan, combine the oil, chillies, garlic, bay, thyme and oregano. Add the toasted spices and the zests. Cook over a medium-low heat to gently infuse. Check the temperature using a kitchen thermometer – when the mixture reaches 110C, remove the pan from the heat and allow to sit for 30 minutes or until the temperature drops to 43C.

3 Add the olives and allow to sit at room temperature for 2 hours, then chill overnight. The olives will keep in the marinade in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three months.

4 When ready to serve, remove the olives from the fridge and bring to room temperature. Drain from the oil (you can add this back to the olive marinade or use it to cook with). Put the drained olives in a bowl and top with a few olive-sized pieces of crumbled feta, if you like.

PER SERVING (8, drained of oil) 159 kcals | fat 15.4G saturates 2.1G | carbs 2.8G | sugars 0G fibre 2.9G | protein 0.8G | salt 1.6G