Jan 12, 2012

Card night & marinated olives



Quite regularly we have neighbours or family and friends come over for a card night. Mr Shady Pine and I are quite addicted to a game we were recently introduced to called Phase 10. The first game we ever played with a group of neighbours ran for 8 hours straight! We weren't quitting until there was a winner people!

Anyway all that card shuffling requires sustenance. On these games nights, the host will usually provide a meal with everyone else bringing all sorts of snacks to keep us going. On our last card night, our lovely neighbour Giselle brought over a delicious mixed berry trifle. The sharpness of the berries was perfect against the backdrop of sweet vanilla custard and cream. Needless to say that was a very popular dessert.


And that's what I love about these evenings; the fun and laughter, music, banter and trying the different dishes that we all bring together.





These nights often start with a drink or two, together with some nibblies. I recently made some marinated olives to serve with drinks and they were devoured fairly quickly. I love the flavours as they come together and intensify the flavour of the olives with a hint of heat from the chilli. Perfect with a drink!

These are best made ahead ot time and allowed to infuse for a couple of hours. Often I will make a big bowl of these and keep them covered in the fridge as snack through the week.





Garlic, lemon & chilli marinated olives


Ingredients:
1 cup of mixed olives; I used a mix of green olives and kalamata
Peel of half a lemon Add Image
1 small garlic clove, sliced thinly
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs parsley, finely chopped

1. Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan over very low heat.
2. Allow to heat up very gently for about 5 minutes to allow the flavours to come together without cooking.

5 comments:

kathryn elliott said...

I've been meaning to check out your blog for a while Anna and now the Christmas / end of season rush is over I have a bit more time.

I do like these marinated olives, especially the chilli kick. And they look so pretty.

The Shady Pine said...

Thanks for dropping by Kathryn and for your comments!

Hope the Christmas break was a lovely one.

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

What a nice and healthy snack to have during games. These would be much better for you than a big bag of chips (which I love but tend to absentmindedly eat a lot of during gatherings like this!) :)

cityhippyfarmgirl said...

Love it, love it! 8 hours straight? Now that is dedication. That sounds like a fun night indeed... I think I need to find some friends to play cards with.

Amy said...

Marinating your own olives is such a good idea. Looks really tasty.