Andalusian Olives

For over seven centuries, the most advanced culture in Spain was Arab-Islamic. They arrived in the eighth century AD and developed a fantastic culture, flowering in architecture (the Alhambra in Granada, the gardens of Seville), music (you can still hear much of this influence in Flamenco), science and yes!, cuisine.
The cuisine of “Al-Andalus” was rich and joyful, abounding in bitter-sweet and sour-sweet dishes.
This is a recipe for dressing olives in that fashion.

1/2 pound of black brine-cured olives
1 orange
1 1/2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper or Spanish pimento (not too sweet, not the smoked one)
1 garlic clove
thyme leaves
Barouni Apollo Olive Oil
Put the olives in a bowl

Zest the oranges and juice them. Add to the olives.
Mince the garlic clove
Add the cayenne pepper
Add few sprigs of fresh thyme
Drizzle with Barouni Apollo Olive Oil
Mix well and serve.

It’s a good idea to prepare the dish a day or two in advance, since the flavors will blend nicely.