In a large shallow dish whisk together extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, parsley, oregano and chilli flakes. Toss in olives, orange peel and garlic.
Cover and marinate at room temp for at least an hour, tossing every now and then if you can. If you’re marinating longer than an hour, marinate in the fridge. Bring to room temp before serving so the oil loosens up. See notes for serving with feta.
Notes:
a) Olives – Go for whatever kind of olives you fancy. You can use all the same, or a mix as I’ve done here. I tend to use pitted olives, just for the marinade can work its way in and around the olive. Also just make sure you get fresh or brined olives, not ones that are already marinated. If using brined olives just drain away the brine first.
b) Orange Peel – A lot of recipes use lemon, but I personally love the warm tones of the orange. If you prefer lemon, you can use that, or even a mix of both. Either way I recommend slicing the peel, instead of zesting. Adding grated zest is a little too overpowering in my opinion, whereas the peel just infuses a nice subtle undertone of flavour.
c) Storage – The longer you marinate the better. An hour is bare minimum. I find these usually stay good for up to 2 weeks tightly covered in the fridge. Always bring back to room temp before serving, just so the oil loosens up again.
d) Baked Feta – Place a 7oz/200g block of feta on parchment paper in a baking dish. Drizzle over some of the marinade then bake for 15-20mins at 200C/390F, or until the edges turn golden and it is very soft to touch. Remove feta using parchment paper, then serve on a plate surrounded by olives. Serve with toasted slices of ciabatta (or bread of choice).
e) Calories – Whole recipe divided by 6.
