Marinated Fennel Olives

Ingredients

• 2 oranges
• 400 g large green olives (with pits)
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 small red onion
• 1 red chili pepper
• 1 bulb fennel
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 stems basil
• 2 tbsp high-quality olive oil
• Pepper

Instructions

1. 1.

   Halve the oranges and squeeze out the juice. In a small pot, reduce 150 ml orange juice over high heat to 3–4 tablespoons in 3–4 minutes, then let it cool.

2. 2.

   Lightly press the olives with the back of a wide knife or make shallow cuts with a small knife and place them in a bowl.

3. 3.

   Peel and finely chop the garlic. Peel the onion and slice into very thin strips. Wash the chili pepper, cut it lengthwise, remove seeds, rinse again if desired, and finely chop.

4. 4.

   Trim the fennel bulb, cut off the stalk in a wedge shape, and dice the bulb into small cubes.

5. 5.

   Toast the fennel seeds in a pan until faint smoke rises. Remove and lightly crush them in a mortar.

6. 6.

   Wash the basil, shake dry, pluck leaves, and roughly chop. Add everything to the olives.

7. 7.

   Add the reduced orange juice and olive oil, season with pepper, mix well, cover, and refrigerate for 24–36 hours to marinate.