Olives

Olives are great to have in the fridge for a tasty snack or to have ready for a nibble to offer unexpected guests. If you want to turn them in a main meal you can throw them in with some chicken thighs and a tin of tomatoes, bake in the oven until bubbling and cooked through and you have a heaty dinner.

Or for one of our favourite crowd pleasers you can make a version of Italian puttanesca, this is one of the quickest and tastiest dinners you can make.

In a saucepan add a tin of chopped tomatoes, a pinch of chilli flakes, two finely sliced cloves of garlic and a large handful of drained and halved olives. Turn on the heat and warm through until reduced by a third.
Taste and season, at this point you might want to add a drizzle of balsamic for acidity, a pinch of sugar for sweetness or a bit more chilli for extra spice.
Keep your sauce warm and cook some pasta, spaghetti works well but you can use whatever you have it. Once the pasta is cooked drain and save two or three tablespoons of the cooking water.
Stir the sauce, pasta and cooking water together. Grate over a little parmesan cheese and serve.

Perfect with some garlic bread or a side salad.