Tapenade (p. 52)

Tapenade, or black olive paste, is one of those examples of how you can hate the texture of something (like I do with olives) but still love the flavor. You'll never catch me tossing back olives, but grind them up with some other salty and delicious flavors and I am so there.

Tomorrow my friends are having a cook out, and I am forcing it to become a Mediterranean feast by bringing tapenade, delicious home-made bread (which I'll probably post about later today), and a big Greek salad, which I won't make until tomorrow.

The tapenade can be made up to a week in advance, and is super easy to make. Plus, it gives me a chance to use the beautiful food processor I got for my wedding, which I love. Combine a pound of black olives, capers, canned tuna, olive oil, garlic, and brandy (!) in the food processor, and voila, tapenade. Too easy, really. You don't want to process it for too long, because it should have a texture to it when served. Mine's in the fridge now, waiting to be accompanied by delicious bread. I can't wait for tomorrow!

Actually, this picture makes it look a little bit gross, but it's not -- it's delicious.

black olives -- $15.98 (I need to stop shopping the olive bar at Fresh Market, though this also leaves some for another recipe) 

tuna -- $3.49 (with two tins leftover)

brandy -- $7.95 (Obviously, there's a lot of this leftover. I only used 2 tablespoons. I'm sure my husband can figure out something to do with the remainder.)

Total Cost for Tapenade: $27.42