Baked Green Olives (Umbria)

Vegeterian

Remove the pits from 24 large green olives pickled in brine. Failing an olive pitter, use a small sharp knife to cut round the pit in a spiral; if you are careful not to break the olive spiral, it can be re-formed into the original shape. Cut 12 slices of bacon in half. Wrap each olive in a half-slice of bacon and secure them, two by two, with toothpicks. Oil in an ovenproof dish, arrange olives in it and bake in a moderate oven (375F) until the bacon fat runs. Arrange on a heated serving dish and serve immediately.

Serves 6