1 c  Olives purchased from deli

           -or Middle Eastern grocery
           -(green
  Yield: 1 cup
  Olives are often served as part of the Middle Eastern appetizer assortment
  called mezze or mazza that is brought to your table with your wine, ouzo,
  or arak.  Anything can turn up as part of a mezze selection: octopus
  dressed in olive oil and lemon, chunks of feta cheese or salami on small
  pieces of bread, or a plate of creamy, tart hummus.  Olives, brined,
  salted, or marinated, are almost always on one of the little plates.
  Middle Eastern marketplaces feature huge vats and crocks of differently
  spiced olives in myriad array.  Some are fleshy, some juicy, others bitter
  and dense, and each is in a subtly different mainade.  The marinade in this
  recipe is good for almost any type of olive;  it is especially delicious
  with green brined olives or fleshy Greek-style ones (it even improves
  California-style ripe Olives).
  brine-cured, Kalamata, Greek-style, or shriveled black dry-cured) 1/4 cup
  olive oil 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, lightly
  crushed 1 1/2 tsp Aji Harissa, Berbere, or commercial chile-garlic paste 1
  tbsp wine vinegar
  1.  Drain olives of any brine.

  2.  Slowly heat olive oil over low heat. Remove from heat and add garlic,

  rosemary, chile-garlic paste, and vinegar.
  3.  Pour marinade over olives and let stand at least 2 hours (the flavor

  gets hotter the longer it stands).
  ADVANCE PREPRATION:  Lasts almost forever, covered and refrigerated
  VARIATION:  A Mediterranean-inspired hors d'oeuvre.
  4 ounces Montrachet or Leazay goat cheese 1 to 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1

  tsp finely chopped cilantro (optional) 1 tsp medium salsa (or to taste) 1/2
  tsp thyme 1 tsp olive oil Approximately 1/2 a French baguette, cut into 1/2
  to 3/4 inch slices Morroccan Spiced Olives
  1.  Mash goat cheese with a fork.  Add garlic, cilantro, salsa, thyme, and

  olive oil.
  2.  Spread goat cheese mixture on bread slices; top each with half a pitted

  marinated olive.
  RECOMMENDED WINE:  Enjoy with a glass of a medium-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon
  with noticeable character, one from California, Chile, or Spain.