Appetizer: Black Olive Spread
When I first moved to New York, I lived in the dorms in the financial district just a couple blocks from the WTC. Across the street from the dorm was this wonderful Turkish market called Zey Tuna which, I believe is no longer there. This is where I discovered Olive spread. They had so many different varieties made fresh and also a large selection of olive oils with tasting samples always available. It was a beautiful little market.
I probably bought that olive spread every other week my first year in the dorm. Once I finally ventured off into the craziness of NYC apartment hunting I found myself missing that familiar taste that I still associate with my first years in the city. So I make it every now and then. It’s been about 6 years since I’ve tasted the original, but I think this is pretty close.
I’ve seen other recipies that use all kalamata olives, but I find it to be a little too salty for my taste. So I do a combination of part kalamata and mostly canned black olives (you can also use green olives from the jar and have a black/green mix). Belly says yummmmm.
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This will make about 1 1/2 cups which is great for a small dinner party. Set it out in a pretty bowl with some crackers or toasted bread. If you want to stretch it out a bit and fancy it up, buy those tiny toasts that you can ususally find in the fancy cheese section of your grocery store. Toast + basil leaf + olive spread + curl of parmesean or chopped sun dried tomato and you have yourself a really inexpensive but super impressive looking hors d’oeuvres.
- Approx. 1/3 cup of kalamata olives
- One can of black olives (I usually go for the large)
- One clove of garlic (shoot, if I’m making this for myself, I’ll do 2 or 3 small ones, but if it’s for guests, I’ll do one medium to large clove)
- Olive oil (I’ve never measured but I’m guessing that it amounts to about 1/4 cup. It’s a slow drizzle in the food processer to make sure that everything combines well)
- Juice of one lemon
- Black pepper
- In a food processer or blender, put the garlic clove in first and pulse a few times. Scrape down the sides.
- Add the kalamata olives and half the can of black olives (drained please!). Blend and add in a slow stream of olive oil. Scrape down the sides.
- Add the lemon juice and the last bit of olives. Pulse so that you have some chunks. Add more olive oil if you need to.
- Taste…if you feel like it needs some black pepper, I suggest using fresh ground. It’ll give it a little kick.
- Note, it gets more garlic-y the longer it sits. So if you’re not tasting the garlic right away and you’re a fiend like me, make it the night before and taste it an hour or so before your guests arrive. You can always add more. Let it sit on the counter about an hour before you serve it so it’s not ice cold.
