Zeytoon Parvardeh - Persian Marinated Olives
Zeytoon Parvardeh is a Persian marinated olive dish made with walnuts, pomegranate molasses, garlic, and fresh herbs. It takes ten minutes to make, then sits in the fridge overnight.
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 141kcal
Ingredients
- 9 oz pitted green olives (250 grams)
- ⅓ cup crushed walnuts
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 ½ tablespoon flat parsley leaves (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon fresh coriander leaves (chopped)
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- 2 tablespoon pomegranate arils
- pinch of salt
- ½ tablespoon pomegranate arils (to garnish)
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine the walnuts, garlic, and fresh herbs. Pulse until a coarse paste forms.
- Incorporate the pomegranate molasses and olive oil into the paste. Blend until smooth.
- In a large bowl, mix the paste with pitted green olives and 2 tablespoons of pomegranate arils. Ensure all olives are thoroughly coated.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight, to allow flavors to meld.
- Garnish with pomegranate arils and/or chopped walnuts just before serving.
Notes
- Buy small, firm, pitted green olives. Cracked ones are easiest, since the pits come out cleanly and the marinade gets inside.
- Taste an olive first. Only rinse them if they are too salty, and drain them properly afterwards. Water left on the olives will make the jar go moldy.
- Use fresh walnuts. Stale ones turn the whole batch bitter and there is no fixing it. I toast mine lightly to bring out the oils.
- Grind the walnuts fine so the marinade becomes a paste that clings to the olives. A coarser grind gives you more texture if you prefer that.
- Walnuts control the color. More walnut makes it paler and milder, more pomegranate molasses makes it darker and sharper.
- Use a sweet and sour pomegranate molasses, not a sharply sour one. Brands vary a lot, so add it gradually and taste as you go.
- If your molasses is very thick, loosen the paste with a spoonful of fresh pomegranate juice.
- Go easy on the garlic. It is raw here, so it gets stronger as the jar sits.
- Give it at least a few hours in the fridge, and a full day if you can. It is much better on day two.
- Swap in sour plum paste for some of the pomegranate molasses, or stir in a tablespoon of grated onion, both common in northern Iran.
- Serve it cold as a starter, with bread, or next to rice and grilled meat, with pomegranate seeds scattered over.
- Keep it in a sealed glass jar in the fridge and use a clean spoon each time. It also freezes well in small tubs.
Nutrition
Calories: 141kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 499mg | Potassium: 58mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 220IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 0.4mg