zeytoun parvardeh: marinated olives

one of my favorite parts of persian meal is having several side dishes which are usually refreshing and make  a great balance with heavy meals. my mom'm family were from north of iran (gilan province) near caspian sea where you have a very humid weather by the sea which is great for some specific herbs. it's very common to add these herbs to fish and sea food and also to vegetables and give them a special flavor. unfortunately i don't have any access to those herbs but i have access to great olives and i decided to make one of my favorite sides which is called zeytoun parvardeh which literally means marinated olives. 

ingredients:

- olives

- fresh pomogranate

- garlic

- fresh pomegranate juice

- walnuts

- herbs

since i haven't had access to gilan's herbs, i used some fresh mint and tarragon instead. peel and chop garlic cloves and walnuts. add them to olives, pomegranate and fill the jar with fresh pomegranate juice. chop the herbs and add them in. cover and refrigerate the marinated olives. the longer you marinate them, they taste better but i only had a couple of days and they tasted good. nousheh jahn!

Comments

[Tiffany]

I always buy marinated olives but never thought to make them 'myself! GREAT idea!

[Jill Colonna]

I think the side dishes with all the flavours are just as interesting as the main dishes! Love the look of the olives and never seen pomegranates with them before. This is lovely!

[purabi naha]

Visda, this recipe is so different...I liked it very much. The only olives we eat is the canned pitted olves in brine. But your version with walnuts and herbs is a winner! Now I have you as my foodie friend and I can learn a lot of Persian dishes from you!
Thanks for commenting on my blog post. Ghee means clarified butter and it is very aromatic, made from cow's milk (preferred). You can only find this in Indian stores in your country...if you know someone who's travelling to India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, etc., tell him to bring one for you!