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3 Holiday Appetizers with Olives

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Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time21 minutes

Ingredients

For the Marinated Feta Stuffed Olives:

  • 1 jar Mezzetta Pitted Castelvetrano Olives
  • 3 oz. Feta Cheese
  • ½ cup Olive Oil
  • 2 tbsp. Maple Syrup
  • Zest & Juice of 1 Lemon
  • 1 tbsp. Fresh Mint chopped
  • 1 tbsp. Chopped Calabrian or Calabrese Peppers

For the Olive & Pesto Sourdough Focaccia:

  • 1/3 cup Mezzetta Sliced Castelvetrano Olives
  • 1/3 cup Mezzetta Pitted Kalamata Olives
  • 1/3 cup Basil Pesto
  • 75-100 grams Active Sourdough Starter
  • 10 grams Salt
  • 430 grams Warm Water
  • 520 grams All Purpose Flour
  • 4-6 tbsp. Olive Oil
  • Flaky Sea Salt

For the Whipped Ricotta with Caramelized Almonds & Olives:

  • 8 oz. Whole Milk Ricotta or Farmers Cheese
  • ¼ cup Heavy Cream
  • Zest of 1 Lemon
  • Salt & Black Pepper to taste
  • ½ cup Sliced Almonds
  • 4 Garlic Cloves peeled and sliced
  • ½ jar Mezzetta Sliced Castelvetrano Olives
  • ¼ cup Maple Syrup
  • 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
  • Crostini for serving

Instructions

For the Marinated Feta Stuffed Olives:

  • Stuff each pitted olive with the feta cheese, then place in a large mason jar or serving dish.
  • In a separate bowl or jar, combine the remaining ingredients. Pour over the olives so they’re fully submerged in the olive oil mixture. Let marinate in the fridge for 4 hours to overnight.
  • If marinating overnight, let rest at room temperature for 1 hour prior to serving. Enjoy!

For the Olive & Pesto Sourdough Focaccia:

  • Day 1: In a large mixing bowl, combine the active sourdough starter, salt, and water. Mix well.
  • Add the flour and mix until completely incorporated (all flour absorbed). Cover and rest in a warm environment for 30 minutes.
  • Perform one fold, as explained. Imagine the bowl divided into 4 corners. Gently scoop from the bottom and lift up one corner without the dough breaking as high as it’ll go, then fold toward the center of the dough. Rotate the bowl to the next “corner” and repeat. Repeat for a total of 10 times.
  • Cover and rest the dough in a warm environment for 4-12 hours, until doubled in volume.
  • Drizzle 2 tbsp. olive oil in the bottom of a 9×13″ baking dish. I also recommend lining the bottom with parchment paper to prevent anything problems when baking.
  • Rub your hands with a little olive oil, then gently remove the dough from the sides of the bowl to transfer to the prepared baking dish.
  • Fold like an envelope and place seam-side down.
  • To continue baking same day, skip this step. Cover the baking dish with Saran Wrap and place in the fridge overnight.

NOTE before transferring focaccia to the fridge:

  • If your kitchen is 75F or cooler, and the dough is not super jiggly or has risen a lot, I recommend letting it sit on the counter overnight to help it to rise. For example, my home stays around 72-76F, so I’ll start the dough around 2pm and let it sit out overnight to bake around 7-8am the next morning.
  • Day 2: Remove the focaccia from the fridge to sit in a warm environment (room temperature) for 4 hours, nearly doubled in volume.
  • Preheat oven to 430F.
  • Gently stretch the dough to fit the pan.
  • Drizzle the focaccia with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, then use your fingers to press into the dough to create dimples all over the surface.
  • Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, then evenly distribute the olives on top and dollops of basil pesto. Add flaky salt, as well.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden on top. Let cool at least 20 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!

For the Whipped Ricotta with Caramelized Almonds & Olives

  • In a food processor, combine the ricotta, heavy cream, and lemon zest. Blend until light and fluffy. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Spread out evenly on a serving dish.
  • In a skillet over medium high heat, add the olive oil for 1 minute.
  • Reduce heat to medium, then add the sliced almonds and garlic to sauté 2-3 minutes, until toasted.
  • Add the sliced olives and maple syrup to cook another 2-3 minutes, until slightly caramelized and sticky. Spoon the mixture on top of the whipped ricotta.
  • Garnish with fresh herbs and flaky sea salt to enjoy with the crostini!
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