Olive Tapenade

Serves a Party
Vegan

Olive tapenade is probably one of the most versatile dishes I know about. This salty, Mediterranean-inspired, fresh paste can be used as a dip for fresh veggies, as a spread on toasted bread, as a part of an antipasta platter (see the recipe for bruschetta too), and even to season tofu or fish. Make a ton of it and use it as a spread on sandwiches, and mix it in with pasta sauce for up to 2 weeks. Even people who claim not to like olives will like this dish (I am a recent convert).

1 jar of pitted olives (I like Kalamata, but any variety works)
a HUGE bunch of fresh parsley
a bunch of fresh basil
¼ cup olive oil
black pepper
a few lemons

Process the olives in a food processor. (Don’t have a food processor? No worries! Just chop everything as finely as you can get it with your knife.)

Add the parsley, the basil, the olive oil, a bunch of cracked black pepper, and the juice and zest from a few lemons. Process everything again. If the food processor is having a hard time, or the mixture looks really dry, add more olive oil.

TASTE IT! The tapenade should be really fresh and earthy. Too salty from the olives? Add more oil. Not zesty enough? Add some more lemon or more herbs. Continue adding ingredients until you like the way it tastes.

Other ingredients that would taste really good in this tapenade:
Sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, hot sauce, capers, or plain yogurt.