La Zucca Magica’s Orange and Olive Salad

By Mark Bittman

Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(27)
Comments
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The combination of sweet, juicy, tart (and cold) orange and bitter, fatty, slightly warmer tapenade is fantastic. Don’t omit the fennel seeds, which add another dimension of flavor and texture — just super. And by all means use the common navel orange — it’s in season, and it seems, to me, just perfect.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1cup good oil-cured black olives, pitted
  • 1teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (optional)
  • ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed
  • 4navel oranges, peeled and sliced into rounds
  • Fennel seeds
Ingredient Substitution Guide
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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a food processor, combine olives and thyme, if using, with a bit of olive oil. Pulse machine once or twice, then turn it on and add remaining olive oil rather quickly; you want this purée on the rough side. Thin with more olive oil if necessary. (You can refrigerate this for up to a month.)

  2. Step 2

    Layer 3 or 4 orange slices on each plate, drizzle with a little more olive oil, top with a tablespoon of olive purée and sprinkle with a few fennel seeds. Serve.

Ratings

5 out of 5
27 user ratings
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Comments

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Peggy

For years I’ve loved cream cheese on crackers with oranges and black olives! Surprised to find a recipe for my accidental favorite!

InkieD

I’ve been making this since it appeared in the NYT in 2009. The thyme is nice but not necessary. Glad to have found the recipe in the app!

Bebevonbernstein

This was so simple, and so very scrumptious (even without the fennel seeds) -- reminds me of Bittman's celery and orange salad (also a favorite). If you really want to be quick, I don't even think it's necessary to make tapenade out of the ingredients, but throw the olives and the thyme on some oranges and drizzle it with oil.

Served it with chili, and my guests loved it as much as I did.

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