Veggie Annie's Skillet: Molives - Martin’s Mother’s Marvelous Mexican Olives
Unusually delicious, quick-and-easy meat / vegetarian / vegan recipes for everyone.
These are just adored around here. My friend Martin’s wonderful mom was raised in the 1940s in Southern California, and was close with her family’s beloved housekeeper, who was from Mexico. She taught Martin’s mom this recipe. These marinated olives are easy, unusual and charming. They’re great after an hour in the fridge, and EXTRA-great after a week, if you can wait that long. They make a fabulous addition to any charcuterie or cheese board, and an EXTRA-fabulous martini.
Molives: Martin’s Mother’s Marvelous Mexican Olives
Large jar of inexpensive Manzanilla green olives
Fresh lime juice (if I’m giving these as a gift, I do squeeze fresh limes myself, but if it’s just a Molive emergency for us, I sometimes use bottled lime or even lemon juice)
Garlic (for a big jar of olives, I use a whole head of garlic - 10-15 cloves)
Crushed red pepper flakes (try a teaspoon for a big jar)
Pour the olives and brine into a colander. You can save the olive brine to add to a salad dressing, or you can discard it.
Put the olives in a bowl. Rinse and reserve the olive jar. Or you can use fancier jars!
Juice 4ish limes.
Peel all the cloves from a head of garlic, and mince them. For fancy-ness, you can reserve a few cloves from the mincing, and SLICE or SLIVER them.
Into your bowl of olives, add all the garlic, 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes and a few tablespoons of lime juice. Mix to combine.
Spoon the mixture back into the olive jar, and fill it up to near the top with lime juice. (There may be a few extra olives which won't fit back in the jar. Oh darn, guess you have to eat those!)
Refrigerate the jar for one hour to one week (or longer), turning it upside down and then right side up right away when you think of it.
Note that if you eat an olive or two, “just to check on them” every time you open the fridge, your gift jar will soon begin to look mighty skimpy. Ask me how I know…Maybe make two jars at a time!
Be sure to tell your gift recipient that this gift is NOT canned, not shelf-stable, and requires refrigeration.