Name: Moroccan Spiced Olives
Yield: Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients: 2 cups green olives (with pits) in brine (10 ounces), such as picholine or Cerignola, lightly smashed to crack open slightly; 4 garlic cloves, sliced; 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 2 teaspoons tomato paste; 1/3 cup water; 2 teaspoons (North African spice paste); 3 (4-to 5-inch) thyme sprigs; 2 thin lemon slices

Why it works: Thyme and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,973 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Moroccan Spiced Olives

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients

2 cups green olives (with pits) in brine (10 ounces), such as picholine or Cerignola, lightly smashed to crack open slightly
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1/3 cup water
2 teaspoons (North African spice paste)
3 (4-to 5-inch) thyme sprigs
2 thin lemon slices

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

165Calories

2 gProtein

14 gFat

11 gCarbs

Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 6 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Olive	1 large (4g)	4
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Thyme	1 tsp dried (1.4g)	4
Water	not in our table	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By epicurious. Recipe from Open Recipes.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Thyme + lemontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,973 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Olive + tomatotop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together15,539 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Clove + thymetop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together4,108 recipes

Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together25,665 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Garlic + tomatotop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together14,076 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, garlic, tomato, thyme, lemon):

Basilfits better
Oreganofits better
Rosemaryfits better
Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, garlic, tomato, thyme, lemon. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

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