Tuffy's Tenacious Tapenade by Chef Paula "Tuffy" Eldridge

                    Tuffy's Tenacious Tapenade

A classic Italian olive spread to serve with crusty bread, crackers, or fresh seasonal veggies.

Preparation: 30 to 40 minutes Cooking : 0 Inactive : 0 Total: 40 min Yield: 1 to 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

•  1pt. Assorted Marinated Olives
•  1pt. Kalamata Olives - Preferably in oil
•  1( 6 oz. jar) Peppadew Peppers {reserve the juice}
•  3Tbls. Fresh Garlic - Add more garlic if you like
•  1 (8oz. jar) Sun Dried Tomato in oil
•  1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
•  1Tbls.  20yr Sherry Vinegar
•  1/2 c. Asiago or Parmesan Cheese {optional}
•  Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Drain the oil from the kalamata olives and the juice from the Peppadews and place aside.  
2. Place all the olives and the peppadews into your mixer. Mix on low just enough to combine.
3. Rough chop the Sun Dried tomatoes and add them to the mixer.
4. Cut cheese into small cubes {shredded cheese is fine} and add to the mixer.
5. Add the vinegar and pulse the mixture adding olive oil from the olives (strained) and some of the peppadew liquid until the tapenade reaches the consistency you like. You can take it from rough chopped to smooth and fine.
6. Place in an air-tight container. Pour a small amount of oil on top of the tapenade to create a seal or oil cap. Seal and refrigerate. 

Chef's Note:

You can do a lot of variations of this recipe to make it your own. Think of this as an all-purpose condiment. For a more rustic look, you can chop everything by hand and grate the cheese. Here are a few ideas and substitutions:

•  Peppadews can be hard to find I would substitute them with baby sweet peppers and a couple of Fresno chilis or 1 or 2 habaneros. Roast the chilies with a little oil and honey until the chilies are soft and juicy.
•  Place it on top of fish and bake or broil. Place it underneath the skin of the chicken thighs and bake.
• On asparagus, cauliflower, eggplant, or spaghetti squash, or use it to finish a vegan saute. 
• A base for a salad dressing or a marinade.
• Quick and easy pasta dinner.
• Let your culinary imagination run wild!

Cookware:

•  1 Chef Knife
•   Food Processor or Immersion Blender and a Bowl
•  Air Tight Container

*Pexel credit Torsten Dettlaff (photographer)