Zaytoon Parvardeh - Marinated Olives with Pomegranate and Walnuts

I love olives! I love pomegranate and I love walnuts. And when I combine the three, the result is what everyone around me falls in love with. The authentic Zaytoon Parvardeh is a lovely mezze from the Gilan region of Iran. The seasoning generally requires golpar seeds but if you cant find them in your area, just improvise by replacing the spices with dried mint.

Zaytoon Parvardeh - Marinated Olives with Pomegranate and Walnuts

Ingredients
450 g pitted roughly smashed green olives
1 cup crushed walnuts
1 tsp crushed garlic
3 tbs olive oil
1/4 tsp dried mint /golpar
1 tbs brown sugar
1/2 cup pomegranate molasses
1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
salt, pepper


Mix all the ingredients except fresh promegranate seeds in a bowl. Season with salt, pepper and brown sugar. Add in the fresh pomegranate seeds. Trasfer to serving dish.
Drizzle some pomegranate molasses on top and garnish with fresh mint and some fresh pomegranate seeds.


This can be served as a starter or side dish to complement any Persian / Middle Eastern meal. Click here for ideas!