Moroccan Chili Olives - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb pitted green olives (about 3 cups)
1/3 cup olive oil or 1/3 cup vegetable oil
5 -6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup peeled seeded and chopped tomato
1/4 cup water
3 lemon slices, unpeeled
1 teaspoon cayenne or 1 teaspoon harissa
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin or 1 sprig fresh thyme
1 pinch salt
ground black pepper

Preparation

Place the olives in a medium saucepan, add water to cover, bring to a boil, then drain.
Heat the oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat.
Stir in the garlic, then the tomato paste and saute until the paste begins to darken, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, water, lemon slices, cayenne, cumin, salt, and pepper.
Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the olives.
Discard the lemon slices and let cool.
Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.
Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Serve at room temperature.