Herbs and Olives Tapenade

My friend Kelly had heard good things about this bakery called Gjusta, so she and I went for a sunny bike ride around Venice beach yesterday with the plan to stop there on our ride home. This bakery was really cool. So cool in fact, that they didn’t even have a sign or an address number on their plain white building, but it was bustling with patrons nonetheless. In fact, I don’t think they even have a website, bold move Gjusta. After spotting a chef in the back wearing a Gjelina hat, it all made sense. Gjusta and it’s ever-hip Abbot Kinney sister restaurant Gjelina have the same owners.  The interior was a long narrow space, the walls were lined with loafs of crusty bread and the cases were full of rustic looking pastries and cakes. It was heavenly. I got some juice and carrot cake, and Kelly got two baguettes and some olive tapenade.

This tapenade was KILLER. It was so good, I had to go straight home and try to recreate it. Which is exactly what I did.

I couldn’t tell if my tapenade was really as amazing as I thought it was, until my harshest critic (a.k.a. my husband) turned down his steak and mashed potato dinner, and ate the entire bowl of tapenade with some spicy crackers instead. Veggie power!

By the way, my friend Kelly has a pretty awesome blog herself, check it out to read about her world traveling adventures!

Herbs and Olives Tapenade

Makes about 1 3/4 cups

1.5 cups mixed black and green pitted Greek olives (not from a can!)

2 fat garlic cloves, minced

1 tbs fresh chopped parsley

2 tsp fresh chopped thyme

1/4 cup first cold pressed olive oil

a few grinds of black pepper

1 tbs capers

Mince the olives, the finer the better, but not into liquified mush. Add the other ingredients and toss to combine. Serve with some sliced baguette or crackers. Tapenade also makes a lovely condiment for sandwiches.

Mushroom Tapenade Toasts

In the mood for something savory? These flavorful little appetizers are rich and intense, with lots of herbs and umami flavors. Serve them as tapas, hors d’oeuvres, or even have them as a brunch item like I did. There is something about the combination of mushroom, olive, and rosemary that is so delightful. You don’t have to serve these open face either, make a whole sandwich and then press it with a panini press for a deliciously crispy sandwich.

Mushroom Tapenade Toasts

Serves 2

2 tbs first cold pressed olive oil

8 ounces crimini mushrooms, finely chopped

12 pitted kalamata olives, finely chopped

8 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced

1 tsp fresh thyme, minced

2 fresh sage leaves, minced

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/3 cup white wine

8 slices crusty bread (I used Kalamata olive bread)

1/2 cup tahini (you can also use hummus if you prefer!)

white truffle oil for drizzling

 

Heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add the mushrooms and olives, stir them around to coat then let them cook for a couple minutes. Turn the heat to medium and add the garlic, herbs and spices. continue cooking and stirring for a few minutes, or till all moisture has evaporated, being careful not to burn the garlic. Pour the white wine into the pan to deglaze and scrape the bottom of the pan as you stir it in. Continue to cook until the wine is evaporated. Toast the bread either in a toaster or on a hot grill and spread a dollop if tahini on each piece. Then top each piece of toast with a scoop of the mushroom-olive mixture, then drizzle with the white truffle oil.

Truly decadent little morsels!

 

Creating a Beautiful Tapas Platter

My new favorite way to picnic is with tapas. We recently went to a concert and these are the tapas platters that I put together for our group of four people (it was way too much food though!). It’s pretty simple and inexpensive to feed a group this way, I was the only veggie as usual, so I did include sliced meat and cheese for the omnis, and then all you need is bread, veggies, fruit, and dip. The way to make it look like you put a lot of effort into it is with subtle touches, doilies, fresh herb sprigs, a baby pear, and I put the hummus and olives into halved bell peppers instead of  bowls. (ok, so you probably won’t find too many doilies in spanish small plate street food, but it sure made my pile of bread in a tupperware container look better!)  I threw in a couple fancy items to tie the whole thing together. My new favorite appetizer is Truffled Mushroom and Olive Rosemary Skewers. The best part was encouraging people to make tiny sandwich combos with the different items.

Truffled Mushroom and Olive Rosemary Skewers

(makes 8 skewers)

24 baby bella mushrooms

16 green olives

8 rosemary twigs, leaves stripped, except for a tuft at the end, 1 tbs reserved and minced

1 tbs white truffle oil

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine everything but the rosemary twigs and toss thoroughly. Thread the mushrooms and olives onto the twigs and lay on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-20 min. (Sorry guys, I am terrible at remembering exact cook times and measurements since I tend to eyeball just about everything. I promise I will work on that. Just roast these till they look fragrant and delicious, without totally burning the rosemary tufts at the ends of the twigs) These are freaking delicious by the way.

Don’t forget the Spanish Wine!