Olive Tapenade

Hint: When removing the pits of olives, your chef's knife is your best friend. Place an olive under the side of your knife, and press firmly on the top side until you feel the olive squish a bit. Then you can remove the pit with ease.

1 cup oil cured olives (I use Cento brand)
2/3 cup green Greek olives (remove pits from all olives)
1 tablespoon drained capers
1/4 cup diced onion
1-2 cloves peeled garlic
1/2 cup diced red pepper
1/4 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Fresh black pepper to taste

Tapenade is a very subjective kind of recipe. Some folks like more olive, some less. Some want it chunky, some like it smooth. Just put all of the ingredients in your food processor, blend for a bit, and taste. Be sure to taste it with a piece of pita bread or baguette. It's a powerful flavor, but the bread tames it a bit.

Hint: Get to know Trader Joe's. If you have one of these discount gourmet food stores near you, consider yourself blessed. They sell great green olives (Krinos brand) pretty-good oil-cured olives, and the oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes in this recipe. They also have mini pitas—perfect for dipping—at a fabulous price.

If the recipe has too much olive bite for you as is, leave 1/2-2/3 cup of your hummus in the food processor when you make that, and it will cut down on the olive flavor in your tapenade. You may also add some fresh zucchini. 
It has a neutral flavor and absorbs some of the salt.

This tapenade is really nice on fresh tuna. Just grill or broil the fish, and add a layer of tapenade on top of the fish a few minutes before you remove it from the oven.

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