Peel and mince the garlic clove finely (or grate on a microplane). In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey and minced garlic. Whisk until smooth. Slowly drizzle in the 0.75 cup extra-virgin olive oil while whisking constantly to form a light emulsion. Stir in the chopped parsley, basil and oregano. Season with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Taste and adjust lemon, salt or honey as needed.

Olives & Vegetables

Prep olives and vegetables

If olives are not pitted, remove pits and halve large olives. Drain and roughly chop the sun-dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers into bite-sized pieces. Thinly slice the red onion and halve the cherry tomatoes. Rinse the capers briefly in cold water and drain. In a large bowl combine the mixed olives, halved kalamata, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, sliced red onion, capers and halved cherry tomatoes. Add 1/2 tsp lemon zest if using.

Combine with dressing

Pour about half of the prepared herb & olive oil dressing over the olive and vegetable mixture and toss gently to coat. Taste; add more dressing as needed so everything is glossy but not swimming in oil. Let the mixture sit 10–20 minutes at room temperature to allow flavors to marry (or refrigerate up to 2 hours for later service).

Finishing & Serving

Assemble and serve

Transfer the dressed olive mixture to a shallow serving bowl. Drizzle the remaining 1 tbs extra-virgin olive oil over the top and scatter the freshly grated cheese if using. Sprinkle a few flakes of sea salt to taste and garnish with fresh basil leaves. Serve with toasted country bread or crostini alongside for scooping. Leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days — bring to room temperature before serving.