Olive Cotte alla Pugliese

Name: Olive Cotte alla Pugliese
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Pugliese
Ingredients: 400 g cured black olives; 60 ml Extra virgin olive oil; 15 g Orange peel; 1 tsp fennel seeds; 2 pieces Garlic cloves; 2 pieces dried bay leaves; 1 sprig Fresh rosemary

Black olives gently warmed in extra virgin olive oil with fragrant orange peel, fennel seeds, and garlic until wrinkled and savoury.

🇮🇹Italy· Apulia

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 20 min
Total: 30 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 220 kcal

Ingredients

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Servings

400 g cured black olives — unpitted, naturally cured (such as Cellina, Gaeta, or dry-cured)
60 ml Extra virgin olive oil — robust Pugliese olive oil preferred
15 g Orange peel — wide strips from 1 untreated orange, white pith removed
1 tsp fennel seeds — lightly bruised
2 pieces Garlic cloves — lightly crushed, skin on
2 pieces dried bay leaves — whole
1 sprig Fresh rosemary — small sprig

Equipment

•Wide heavy-bottomed frying pan
•Vegetable peeler
•Wooden spoon
•Kitchen paper

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 220 kcal
fat: 22 g
carbs: 5 g
fibre: 3 g
protein: 1 g
calories: 220 kcal

Instructions

1
Rinse the cured olives under cold running water if excessively salty, then dry them thoroughly with kitchen paper.
2
Pare wide strips of zest from the orange using a vegetable peeler, carefully avoiding the bitter white pith.
3
Pour the extra virgin olive oil into a wide frying pan set over medium-low heat.
4
Add the crushed garlic cloves, orange peel strips, bay leaves, rosemary, and bruised fennel seeds to the pan.
5
Cook gently for 2 minutes until the aromatics sizzle lightly and release their fragrance, without letting the garlic brown.
6
Tip the dry black olives into the pan, arranging them in a mostly single layer.
7
Cook over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the olives are hot, tender, and slightly wrinkled.
8
Remove the pan from the heat and leave to settle for 5 minutes so the flavours infuse deeply.
9
Transfer the warm olives along with their scented oil and orange strips to a shallow terracotta serving bowl.

Chef's tips

Ensure the olives are completely dry before adding them to the pan to prevent the oil from spitting. Keep the heat gentle throughout cooking so the orange peel infuses the oil rather than burning and turning bitter.

Ingredient substitutions

orange peel → strips of fresh lemon peel or dried organic citrus peel
fennel seeds → wild dried oregano or lightly crushed coriander seeds

Storage

Store cooled olives submerged in their infused oil in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Reheating

Warm the olives and oil gently in a small frying pan over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes before serving.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Using high heat, which scorches the garlic and makes the orange peel unpleasantly bitter.
•Adding wet olives directly to the warm oil, which prevents them from wrinkling properly.
•Using bland, water-packed canned black olives instead of rich, naturally cured table olives.

Serving suggestions

Serve warm with slices of rustic pane di Altamura or Apulian taralli.Present as part of a traditional antipasto spread alongside pickled vegetables and fresh cheese.