Anticiplate

Why is it then when you love to cook you get duped into making food for every event? Even when you are not there because you are being someone’s Kitchen Bitch!  I guess I don’t really mind making the food (that’s the fun part), but I do like to be with my friends when they are eating my food and partying before they go out.

As most of you know, I shop at Whole Foods EVERY DAY. I am a professional grocery shopper.

Haha! No. Not really. Wouldn’t that job be fabulous? (I was actually asked if grocery shopping was my job once, but that story is for another time).

Anywho, I know Whole Foods like the back of my hand. So, when an itty-bitty container of fig and olive tapenade was in the place that I usually buy my boring old huge container of tapenade, I was intrigued. $6.99 later, I was hooked.

But who can afford SEVEN dollars for like 3 bites of tapenade. Certainly not my idea of fun times.  I decided to try to replicate the recipe because, well, I just like doing things like this. Luckily, the same week, this beautiful woman posted a recipe on her site from the talented David Lebovitz,  who has just written the wildy popular book The Sweet Life in Paris.

I am not trying to be bossy. Ok, maybe just a little. But, you HAVE to make this. There is no “cooking” in it really, mostly just pushing the pulse button repeatedly on your trusty food processor. MINDLESS, I assure you. The ingredients do the rest. Even Erik could make this:)

Makes 3 cups

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Adapted from David Lebovitz

1/2 cup (about 3 ounces) stemmed, dried Black Mission figs

3/4 cups water

1 cup pitted nicoise olives (or kalamata)

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)

2 teaspoons stone ground mustard

1 garlic clove, peeled

1/2 tablespoon capers, drained

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1/2 cup high-quality extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp. agave nectar

Cracked black pepper and salt, if necessary

In a medium-sized saucepan, simmer the figs in the water for about 30 minutes, until very tender. Drain, reserving a few tablespoons of the liquid.

Using a food processor, pulse the pitted olives, drained figs, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, capers, and fresh rosemary to create a thick paste. Pulse in the olive oil until you’ve achieved a chunky-smooth paste. Season with black pepper and salt, if necessary. (The spread can be thinned with a bit of the reserved fig poaching liquid.)

Serve this tapenade with slices of baguette that have been lightly brushed with olive oil and toasted in the oven, or smear a layer of it on a sandwich with goat cheese, juicy-ripe summer tomatoes, and lightly dressed arugula.

*Its best to make this tapenade at least one day before you intend to serve it, which allows the flavors to meld and develop. It can be kept in the refrigerator for about a week.

Other similar recipes around the blogosphere:

Stacey Snacks makes the same Fig and Olive Tapenade, but a bit chunkier

Balsamic and thyme are substituted in a tapenade by Baking Obsession

Rachel’s Bite serves her tapenade over polenta crostini

Sarah  at In Praise of Leftover’s , a newly discovered blog for me, also made a beautiful spread