Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Olive Almond Tapenade


You're either an olive lover or an olive hater. I love olives. Greek, black, green, stuffed, unstuffed. I love them all. I love the smell of a blossoming olive tree; sweet and fragrant. I eat olives on pizza, sandwiches, tacos, salads, and on crackers. I even eat them just as they are.





Castlevetrano olives are so smooth and buttery sweet. They make a really good tapenade, too. Ten minutes and you've got a summer appetizer that is impressive and tasty. Serve them with Lemon Rosemary Flatbread Crackers, and you've got an easy hit.



Place olives and almonds in a food processor. Add the oil from the almonds too. Sometimes marcona almonds are sold with herbs or spices added. These are delicious and perfectly suitable to use here. I'm using a mini processor. It's big enough and easier to clean than a large one. 



Add capers and thyme.



And lemon zest.



Pulse a few times adding more olive oil until you reach the consistency you like. That's it. Quick and easy.



See the beautiful pale green color? This is a good olive. Castlevetrano olives should have pale green flesh. The bright neon-looking olives that can be found are dyed to make them look that way. Don't bother.


Store in the refrigerator. 

Serve on Lemon Rosemary Flatbread Crackers with some shaved parmesan or spread on a ham sandwich. If you like olives, you can't pass this up. The taste is naturally salty, so be sure to tame it down with a good cheese.

  • 2/3 C Castlevetrano olives (I used a 5.5 oz jar); pitted
  • 1/4 Marcona almonds, toasted and packed in oil
  • 3-4 T olive oil
  • Zest of 1/2 lemon
  • 2 t fresh thyme
  • 1 t capers

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