Olive my love

Cut the Valencia oranges crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices. Place on a round platter, overlapping each slice. Slice the red onion into thin rings, then cut the rings in half. Layer onion sections on top of the orange slices. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sprigs of thyme, then add pepper to taste. Cover entire dish with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 to 8 hours to let the flavors meld. Salad can be eaten with or without utensils, removing the orange peel before eating.

Preheat oven to 375 F. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, onion, oats, half of the tomato sauce, about three-fourths of the black olives, and 1 teaspoon of the Italian seasoning. Shape into a loaf and bake in an oven-safe dish covered with aluminum foil for 45 to 50 minutes.

In a small saucepan, combine remaining tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder. Cook over low heat, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Spoon sauce over meatloaf and sprinkle with cheese and remaining olives. Return to oven for about 5 minutes, until cheese is melted. Slice and serve with mashed potatoes, pasta, or your favorite vegetables.

Preheat oven to 400 F. In a large ovenproof baking dish, toss together the tomatoes, shallot, garlic, olives, artichoke hearts, and most of the olive oil. Place feta into the center of tomato mixture and drizzle top with remaining olive oil. Sprinkle entire dish with crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper. Bake 45 to 50 minutes, until tomatoes are bursting and feta is golden on top. Let cool for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve some of the pasta water before draining. When feta and olive mixture has cooled down a little, stir together with a bit of the pasta water to make a sauce. Toss pasta with feta/olive sauce, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

Heat oven to 350 F. Heat a large, oven-safe skillet over medium. Add butter and oil, cooking until butter melts and starts to sizzle. Stir in olives, garlic, and fennel for another minute or so. (If your fish is thinner than 1 inch, cook the olive/butter mixture a few minutes longer.) Carefully place fish fillets in skillet. Spoon some butter mixture on top of each fillet to baste, then transfer skillet to the oven.

Bake until fish is opaque and flaky, 10 to 15 minutes, basting once more halfway through until internal temperature of fish reaches 145 F. Remove from oven. Transfer fillets to serving plates, equally distributing olive/butter mixture. Sprinkle with pepper and fresh dill.