Tapenade is a simple and easy to make olive paste, named after one of it's essential ingriedients, the 'tapena' ('capers' in occitane, a language formerly spoken in the South of France and parts of Spain and Italy)
Ingredients:
250 gr black olives, de-stoned (make sure no extra salt has been added to them) = 8.8 oz
40 gr capers = 1.4 oz
30 gr anchovy filets in oil = 1 oz
2 tsp lemon juice (optional, but a lovely and refreshing addtion in summer)
1/2 glove of garlic, crushed
3 tbsp olive oil
Place all ingredients (except the olive oil) into a blender, and blend to a smooth consistency. With the motor running, add the olive oil, slowly and steadily. You can use less or more oil, depending on how you like the consistency.
Then spread onto thin slices of crusty baguette or grilled toast or bread, adding a little basil or mint leave for decoration and extra flavor.
During summer, most vegetable stalls offer no fewer than six varities of tomatoes, but since I planned to roast them, I chose the oval Roma, as it is the easiest to skin:
After dropping them for a few seconds into boiling water (until the skin cracks) and letting them cool off, the skin comes almost off by itself. Cutting them in half and placing them on a lined baking tray takes no time at all, and there is no need to add salt, pepper, herbs or oil.
The key for the best flavor is to roast them very slowly, with a medium hot temperature. These were in the oven for three hours, at 160 celsius.
For Brushetta, cut the tomatoes into thin stripes, dice the stripes into small cubes, and season with salt and pepper. Place a spoon-full of the mix on thin slices of crusty baguette or toasted bread, and add a basil or mint leave. You could also rub the cut side of the bread with a glove of garlic (cut into two) beforehand, and sprinkle with some olive oil.
Roasted tomates are also great with pasta sauce, tomato soup, or salads, as they give so much extra flavor.
with a tomato & mozarella starter
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