What I'm Bringing to the Party: Olive Tapenade

Ready or not, holiday party season is upon us. And while I might like to think I have all the time in the world to prep something fabulous to share at one of those parties, more often than not I'm running around trying to check 1000 things off my list and have about 20 minutes to whip something together before heading out to the event.

That's when a simple appetizer like this olive tapenade comes in handy. Nearly all the ingredients are shelf-stable, meaning you can whip this up at a moment's notice. (Because we always have a well-stocked pantry, right?) A dash of herbes de Provence pairs quite nicely with the sun-ripened olives; if you happen to be even better prepared than me, a tablespoon or two of fresh herbs (basil, thyme, parsley) would be just as lovely. Slice up a baguette to make crostini (or just open up a box of crackers), and you've got a tasty dish to share with hardly any effort. (But that last part can be our little secret.)

Olive Tapenade (printer-friendly version)
makes about 1 1/2 cups

1/2 pound pitted kalamata olives, rinsed
2 anchovy fillets, rinsed
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons capers
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Add all of ingredients to the bowl of a food processor. Process to combine, scraping down the sides as necessary.
2. Spoon into a serving bowl and serve alongside crostini or crackers.

What's Baking: Rosemary and Olive Focaccia

Freshly-baked bread is one of my favorite aromas. Add in some olive oil, rosemary, and olives, and oof, my olfactory sense goes on overload! 

Aside from making the house smell amazing while it bakes, this savory focaccia bread also tastes delicious. You really can't go wrong with the flavor combination of fresh herbs and briny olives.

I'm typically intimidated by yeast breads and their multiple rises and general kneadiness (ha!) -- but this recipe is quite simple to put together. There is a bit of waiting in between rises, so make sure you have plenty of time available before attacking this recipe.

However, the time investment is definitely worth it. I've been eating this focaccia all week long -- by itself as a snack, as a side with soup for lunch, and even cut in half to make a fried egg sandwich at breakfast. You gotta love a savory bread that's good to eat at any time of the day!

Rosemary and Olive Focaccia (printer-friendly version)

makes 8 servings

2 cups warm water (105°F to 115°F)

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

4 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour (plus ~ 1/4 cup if necessary)

2 teaspoons fine sea salt

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

2 tablespoons sliced black olives

24 Kalamata pitted olives, sliced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus a few small intact bunches (3-4 leaves)

finishing salt (such as pink Himalayan salt or Maldon flaked sea salt), for garnish

1. Pour two cups of warm water into a large bowl. Sprinkle the dry yeast over the water and stir with a fork to combine. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes, allowing the yeast to dissolve. If the mixture does not become frothy, you should start over with fresh yeast.

2. Add 4 1/4 cups flour and the salt to the yeast mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to combine. The dough will be quite sticky. 

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Add more flour by the tablespoonful if the dough is sticky. 

4. Pat the dough into a large ball. Grease a large bowl with olive oil, then add the dough to the bowl, turning to coat it evenly with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm, draft-free location to rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

5. After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down, add two tablespoons of sliced olives, and knead back into a ball. Return the dough to the oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes.

6. Coat a 17"x11" baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Punch down the dough, then transfer it to the oiled baking sheet. Use your fingertips to press the dough out into a large rectangle, about 13"x10". Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

7. Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over the dough. Sprinkle the dough evenly with the sliced Kalamata olives and chopped rosemary. Press in a few small bunches of rosemary on top of the dough. Allow the dough to rise until puffed up, about 25 minutes.

8. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Use your fingertips to press into the dough, forming indentations all across it. Garnish with finishing salt. Bake the bread until golden and crusty, about 20 minutes.

9. Serve the bread warm or at room temperature. Store any leftover bread in an airtight container at room temperature.

(adapted from this Epicurious recipe)

What's On the Side: Pesto Pasta Salad

For the long Memorial Day weekend, D and I packed up the car, and, along with Leroy, made the eight-hour trip up through the UP, across the Mackinac Bridge, and down to D's family's cottage in northern Michigan. As usual, I brought with me a ton of books and magazines to read (I'm forever behind on all my magazine subscriptions), and this time I also brought along my slow cooker and a cooler full of groceries. (Yes, they have grocery stores in northern Michigan, but I'm the first to admit I'm a bit picky about where my food comes from (read: how it was raised/grown).)

My food duties over the weekend included making sweet potato homefries and crispy bacon as part of our breakfast on Saturday and pulled pork (cooked in the slow cooker) sandwiches for dinner on Sunday. Along with the pulled pork sandwiches I served a pesto pasta salad, inspired by a recent post by Joy the Baker. I also meant to serve some baked beans with the sandwiches, but completely spaced on doing so, which I discovered when I pulled the can out of our grocery bag while unpacking upon our return to Wisconsin. Whoopsies! Good thing I did remember to serve the veggie potato chips on the side as well!

This pasta salad is quick to put together, and most of the time is spent waiting for the pasta to cook. Of course, this is not wasted time, as you can spend it prepping the other ingredients, chopping the olives, tomatoes, and pistachios, and slicing the cheese. I'm a huge fan of pistachios (the shelling of which does quite the job on my manicure, sigh) so I was totally into the addition of these salty and crunchy nuts to the mix. The sweetness of the tomatoes works wonders with the savoriness of the olives, and the pesto sauce helps to meld all the flavors together. And if you know anything about me, you know that I love cheese. Fresh mozzarella is one of my favorite things, and it adds just the right amount of creaminess to this fresh summertime salad.

Pesto Pasta Salad (printer-friendly version)
makes 8-10 servings

4 cups dried chiocciole pasta
4 tablespoons basil pesto
1 pint organic cherry tomatoes, sliced in quarters
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced
1/4 cup shelled salted pistachios, chopped

1/2 cup fresh small mozzarella balls, sliced in quarters

fresh basil, for garnish

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt, then add the pasta and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Let the pasta cool slightly.
2. Stir in the pesto until the pasta is evenly coated. Stir in the tomatoes, olives, pistachios, and mozzarella. Garnish with fresh basil and serve.

(adapted from this Joy the Baker recipe)