Tapenade

Directions

1. Pit the olives with an olive pitter, or crush the olive meat (but not the pit) with the flat side of a large knife or cleaver, and remove the seed. Put the olive meat into a food processor fitted with the metal blade.
2. Add the tin of anchovies with oil, and the garlic, capers, and olive oil and a few good turns of the pepper mill. Pulse with on/off switch to blend the ingredients together all at once. Keep this preparation brief so that the purée retains a coarse texture
3. Teacher's Tips: To store the Tapenade for future use, pack it in small jars (preferably glass). Cover jars tightly and refrigerate. [I’ve known it to keep as long as 2 months.]
4. Tapenade is a very versatile condiment. You can spread it on toasted slices of French bread and serve it with aperitifs; serve it as an hors d’oeuvre with raw vegetables and hard boiled eggs or use it as the basis for a sandwich. Spread it on a long thin baguette of French bread, split in half and lightly toasted, then layer the sandwich with slices of tomato, hard-boiled eggs, sweet spring onions and a few anchovy fillets (or chunks of well-drained canned tuna). It also perks up the flavor of a turkey sandwich, when used as a substitute for mayonnaise.