Artichoke Tapenade

"A" is for Artichoke



I usually eat lunch around noon and supper around 8:00, which means I get hungry half way through the afternoon. So I have a snack. Cheese and crackers is a favorite as is cheese and salami - I usually have two or three cheeses in my fridge. Focaccia makes a great mid-afternoon snack if I've made a batch lately (by the way, this Rosemary/Grape Focaccia is my all-time favorite). And this Prosciutto Bread also make an out standing snack. Hummus is one of my all-time favorite pick-me-ups with a round of warm pita bread.

This is both quick and easy to make and will keep for three or four days in the refrigerator.

The idea in most cases being something I can eat with my fingers and yet won't get my fingers too greasy because I'm usually working at the computer when I eat the snack. However I've broken that rule the last few days because I made up a batch of Artichoke Tapenade and it drips all over everything. I first had this tapenade when I bought a jar of it at Copia, the now-defunct Museum of Food and Wine in Napa, California. Because Copia was a good three-hour drive from my house in Sacramento I had to come up with my own recipe.

This is both quick and easy to make and will keep for three or four days in the refrigerator (I would hesitate to keep it longer than that because of the raw garlic in it). Lately I've been eating it on a loaf of ciabatta and the large holes are good at keeping spillage down - but it's still a mess to eat.

Off subject: Kathy at Panini Happy recently hosted a grilled cheese contest and oddly enough, I won. I say "oddly" because my submission was as basic as it could be - albeit with an anal-obsessive attention to detail.

Artichoke Tapenade

1 15-oz. can artichoke hearts
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 roasted red bell pepper
1 sm. lemon; zested and juiced
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves or 1 tsp. dried*
1 Tbsp, fresh parsley; finely chopped
1 clove garlic; finely chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. capers

Drain artichoke hearts and chop coarsely in a food processor with roasted pepper. Then stir in all remaining ingredients, including lemon juice and zest. Taste and adjust flavors to suit and allow mixture to sit for four hours to meld the flavors

*Note: You can substitute oregano, marjoram, chervil, or tarragon.

Technorati: Food | recipe | kevin d weeks | seriously good | artichoke | snack | appetizer | tapas