07 June 2010

Kalamata Olive Tapenade

Alpine, Texas is a tough place to own a restaurant. They seem to be going in and out of business all the time. Unfortunately, one of the most recent closures was our landladies' restaurant "The Gulf Station Cafe." It was a cute little place on the railroad tracks that tried to serve healthy, yummy food to a clientele which prefers large quantities of less-than-healthy fare. Anyways, one of the unforeseen benefits of the restaurant closing has been that we have received an interesting assortment of extra food. We had a large bag of whole cranberries which I made into a cranberry coffee cake a few weeks ago, a large block of feta cheese which is hanging out in our freezer awaiting inspiration, and lastly a bunch of kalamata olives. When life gives you olives, make olive paste- right? If it is ever raining olives in your neck of the woods, give this recipe a try. It is down-right delicious!


Tapenade (Adapted from Epicurious)
1 3/4 c kalamata olives
3 T + 1/4 c toasted, chopped walnuts (I used pecans)
1/4 c olive oil
2 t dijon mustard
1 garlic clove (I used 3 or so)
1 t fresh thyme
1 t fresh oregano
1 t fresh sage (my plant just died, so I skipped this)
Pinch of cayenne

- Pulse olives and 3 T of toasted nuts in food processor.
- Add oil, mustard, garlic, and spices. Pulse to mix.
- Stir in remaining 1/4 c chopped nuts.
- Chill until ready to serve. Serve with sliced bread, cheese (sharp cheddar or a nice blue cheese give a great counter-flavor) and an assortment of veggie adornments such as cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil leaves or whatever creative stuff you pull out of your garden or fridge.

4 comments:

LaLaLaLeah said...

Yum! This looks so delicious! My mouth is watering... I love incorporating olive tapenade into my sandwich creations.

laurel said...

Mmmmm... I think you should open a restaurant in Alpine!

Nisa said...

yummers cici! and thanks so much for sharing with us!

diane said...

Great one, Ciel! I think I'll make this for the weekend...ALWAYS have lots of kalamatas around.