Olive Tapenade

Olive Tapenade is a zesty spread we use on muffuletta sandwiches, on toasted slices of bread or crackers for appetizers. It can also be used as a topping for fish. 
This is a simple version that uses black and stuffed green olives. It appeared in The Kirby House Cookbook and is a recipe we used for catered events.

Olive Tapenade
1 cup green stuffed olives
1 cup black (ripe) olives
1/4 chopped red onion
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
Dash of hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco®)
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup olive oil

1. Combine all ingredients except olive oil in the work bowl of a food processor. Chop coarsely, suing a pulsing motion.
   
2. Add oil gradually as processor is running, being careful not to over-process the mixture.
3. Cover the tapenade and allow to marinated in the refrigerator several hours before using.

 Use tapenade to make muffuletta sandwiches . . .

Recipe without photos . . .
Olive Tapenade
1 cup green stuffed olives
1 cup black (ripe) olives
1/4 chopped red onion
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
Dash of hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco®)
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup olive oil

1. Combine all ingredients except olive oil in the work bowl of a food processor. Chop coarsely, suing a pulsing motion.
2. Add oil gradually as processor is running, being careful not to over-process the mixture.
3. Cover the tapenade and allow to marinated in the refrigerator several hours before using.

You can’t believe how fast it disappears! — JAZZABELL . . . very spicy and incredible

    Barry loves this sweet and spicy sauce. He first tasted it at a friend’s home and went on about it so much that she often makes a batch just for him.

     Research indicates that this sauce (also referred to as Jezebel) was a Southern staple back in the 50s and 60s so I guess you might say it is an “oldie but goodie.”

     This palate pleasing sauce is always a hit at parties and is a quick fix appetizer as once made, you just pour it over whatever size of cream cheese block that the situation warrants. (I’ve even shaped the block of cream cheese into seasonal leaves or Christmas tree shapes.)

JAZZABELL

1 (18 oz.) jar apricot preserves (or use pineapple or peach preserves)

1 (18 oz.) jar apple jelly

1 to 2 tablespoons dry mustard

1 small (2.5 oz.) jar horseradish

1 tablespoon cracked black pepper

For serving:

2 to 3 large (8 oz.) cream cheese blocks

Assorted crackers 

1. Combine all ingredients and refrigerate. Keeps for weeks in refrigerator. 
   
   
   
   
2. To serve: Pour sauce over cream cheese and serve with crackers.

Recipe without photos . . .

JAZZABELL

1 (18 oz.) jar apricot preserves (or use pineapple or peach preserves)

1 (18 oz.) jar apple jelly

1 to 2 tablespoons dry mustard

1 small (2.5 oz.) jar horseradish

1 tablespoon cracked pepper

For serving:

2 to 3 large (8 oz.) cream cheese blocks

Assorted crackers 

1. Combine all ingredients and refrigerate. Keeps for weeks in refrigerator. 
2. To serve: Pour sauce over cream cheese and serve with crackers.

Centerpiece becomes 1st course — Garden Gazpacho

     Chilled gazpacho seemed like a great first course soup, but I also needed a low centerpiece for a small dinner party. And, that’s how soup ended up in juice glasses, lined up in the center of our dining room table.

     Since we were drinking the soup, I thinned it with broth but otherwise I just used our garden produce in a soup that did double duty!

Garden Gazpacho

1 cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled

2  bell peppers, scored and seeded

4 plum tomatoes

1 onion

3 cloves of garlic, minced

3 cups (23 oz.) tomato juice

¼ cup white vinegar or use red wine vinegar if desired

¼ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 to 3 teaspoons prepared horseradish

4 to 5 dashes of hot sauce (such as Tabasco®)

½ tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Chicken, beef or vegetable broth for thinning – start with about ¾ cup and add more as needed

Rimming salt if desired  

1.     Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not overprocess!

2.     After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Mix well, adding broth if needed to thin the soup.

3.     Chill before serving. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.

4.     If desired, rim glasses with prepared salt and fill with soup for drinking, or serve in a small cup with a spoon.

Bloody Mary Mix . . . make ahead and it’s ready for a party!

For a recent brunch, I made Bloody Mary Mix several days ahead and put it in the refrigerator to chill. On the day of the party I mixed with a pitcher of tomato juice and set it out with vodka, gin, ice cubes and accruements, including rimmed glasses. It makes a pretty presentation!

Bloody Mary Mix

This amount of mix is added to 3 cups of tomato juice; double or triple for larger batches.

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

1 tablespoon+ Worcestershire Sauce

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (such as Tabasco®), or to taste

3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1.  Mix all ingredients; put in a covered container and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days in advance.

2.  When ready to serve, mix with 3 cups of tomato juice in a large pitcher.

3.  To make the actual Bloody Mary: fill an 8 oz. glass (that has been dipped in Rimming Salt*) with ice, add about 1 oz. of vodka or gin to glass and then fill with seasoned tomato juice. Add a rib of celery or a skewer of veggies (we alternated marinated mushrooms and green olives) and stir.

Rimming Salt -- Mix these ingredients and store in covered container:

1 tablespoon celery salt

2 tablespoons granulated garlic

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

2 teaspoons black pepper

Here’s how I rimmed a glass:

Put a small amount of lemon juice in a round plastic container (large enough to just fit the diameter of the glass you plan to salt). Dip top edge of glass into the juice.

Put a small amount of the rimming salt in a similar sized plastic container. Now, dip the glass (that has already been dipped in juice) into the salt mixture.

We served our Bloody Mary's with Spicy Saltines and Oven-Baked Potato Chips.