To Hors d’Oeuvre or Not to Hors d’Oeuvre

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There are those who can’t imagine a holiday meal or gathering NOT to include hors d’oeuvres. Others, not so much. To hors d’oeuvre or not to hors d’oeuvre really is a thing.

The hors d’oeuvres in question can be a block of good cheese and crackers, or something far more extravagant. Enthusiasts claim hors d’oeuvres are their favorite part of a meal. This may have something to do with the license to graze-at-will freedom that hors d’oeuvres provide.

By equally strong measure are those who claim hors d’oeuvres RUIN the meal. Hors d’oeuvres spoil the appetites of guests and the labors of the cook.

A middle road

Somewhere in the middle is where I stand. Elaborate, full-spread hors d’oeuvres can be overkill. And they can mean arriving at the table with a somewhat less than zealous appetite.

But then again, I do love the variety, the combinations of textures, and the switch from salty to briny. I think, as with most things, there’s a sweet spot. And this is where this recipe for marinated olives comes in.

It’s tough to say you’ve overindulged when the pre-meal offerings are limited to olives, a bit of bread, maybe a smattering of cheese and some scattered nuts tossed across a wooden board.

Here’s the other beauty of these olives: Whatever isn’t consumed during the hors d’oeuvre phase of the gathering can be stealthily moved to the table for continued consumption during the main attraction. That’s a win-win.

The non-hors d’oeuvres people do not ever need to know you’ve incorporated the hors d’oeuvres into the meal.