Green Olive Tapenade

Those of you who have known me for a long time are probably shocked to see a recipe featuring olives.  But alas, I have turned over a new leaf, and now like olives.  Green olives, that is.  Black olives may be next, but as of now, green it is.

I started liking olives before a trip I took to Italy two years ago.  I knew they'd be everywhere, so I decided to make myself like them.  I started my olive adventure at one of my favorite local Italian pizza places, Via Tribunali.  They have a little help-yourself olive stand on the corner of the bar.  My favorite of all of them were the bright green variety. 

My mom recently discovered canned and pitted green olives at Whole Foods, which was great news to me.  The last time I bought them, thought this would be a cheap way to make tapenade.  It would probably work just as well with canned chopped olives, and of course fancy green olives from the olive bar would be just divine.

This recipe is a combination of two recipes, one from The Professional Chef ( The Culinary Institute of America's cookbook) and the other is the secret recipe from a restaurant I used to work at here in Seattle.  The lemon juice makes it quite tangy, so you use half the amount for less tang.

Green Olive Tapenade

Adapted from The Professional Chef and secret Seattle restaurant recipe

Yields about 1 cup

1 can pitted whole green olives, drained (about 1 1/4 cups)

1 Tbsp capers

Juice from 1/2 of lemon

1 garlic clove, diced roughly

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup fresh parsley

1/4 tsp dried basil

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in small food processor (or blender).  Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.  Combine roughly or thoroughly, depending on the consistency you prefer.

Eat as a bread topping, sandwich component or topping for grilled chicken.