Olives with Anchovies and Peppers - Typical Spanish Tapa
Olives Stuffed with Anchovies and Peppers
Sometimes the tastiest tapas are the easiest to make and require the least expensive ingredients! Take, for example, this recipe for Olives Stuffed with Anchovies and Peppers:
Ingredients:
Start with 25 of the pitted quintessential Sicilian Olive, the Castelvetrano is my go-to for this tapa because of its mild taste. You can find them at your local grocery store, either in bottle or fresh in your store’s deli section. Buy the olives that are the plumpest for this recipe.
25 pre-salted and roasted whole almonds, I prefer the Marcona almonds.
A can of oil-packed anchovies.
4 large piquillo peppers from a jar. I like to use the peppers that La Tienda sells online (Peppers), they are always perfectly seasoned and ready to eat out of the jar.
2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, again, La Tienda has some of the best (Olive Oil).
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, you can find this at any grocery store.
1 minced garlic clove.
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest, for that special Mediterranean taste.
Directions
Take one of the peppers out of the jar and dab it slightly with a paper towel to remove some of the liquid (not all, just some!), lay it flat on your cutting board and slice it into strips about as wide as your olive.
Take an anchovy out of the can and lay it flat on your cutting board, slice it lengthwise.
Stuff 1 almond, 1 anchovy strip and 1 piquillo strip into each olive. Place the stuffed olives on a platter.
In a bowl, stir together the olive oil, the minced garlic, the sherry vinegar, and the teaspoon of orange zest. Gently apply the mix over the olives and let it set for at least 1 hour and allow your stuffed olives to marinate at room temperature, or longer for a heightened taste.
Pin the tapa with a toothpick so that the content’s doesn’t spill out.
Serve your Olives Stuffed with Anchovies and Peppers on a tray with slices of a fresh French Bread. Enjoy!
