starters

Green olive tapenade

OK, so tapenade isn’t exactly Portuguese, but this salty, fishy dip is great for Christmas time and in a place with plentiful tasty olives, it seemed a shame not to make it.

Tapenade

Tapenade

What you need:

250g pitted green olives

25g anchovy fillets, chopped

50g capers – drained and rinsed

1/4 teaspoon mustard powder

1 teaspoon dry oregano

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 dessert spoon white wine vinegar

Small handful chopped fresh parsley

Black pepper

All you have to do is chuck all of the ingredients except the pepper and parsley in a food processor and process until a smooth paste – I like to make mine a bit rustic and leave a few olive chunks here and there but this is up to you. Stir in the fresh parsley and a good grinding of black pepper. Serve it with crusty bread, crostini or crackers. This also makes a lovely base for Christmas canapes – enjoy!

PS. I have tested this recipe on my wife and father in law, both of whom DO NOT like: olives, capers, anchovies or mustard. They both like this very much – the oil seems to take the edge off the other strong tastes.