Rosemary, Walnut and Sun Dried Tomato Tapenade

All I can say about this recipe is…yummers! The combination of flavours is just right, and get even better the longer they sit together.

Ingredients:

3/4 lightly toasted walnuts

1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (about 6)

20 pitted kalamata olives

2 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary

Black pepper, to taste

Method:

Start by soaking the walnuts and the sun dried tomatoes in warm water for 20-30 minutes. This helps the tomatoes become easier to blend and well, it’s always good to soak your nuts. Save the water from the tomatoes, as you may need it when blending. Lightly toast them over medium heat, no oil, until they have a light golden brown hue.

For the olives, I like to buy ones with the pits and remove myself. You can do this easily by smushing the flat side of your knife down on the olive, like you would with garlic, to remove the skin. The pit will loosen up and can be removed.

To help your food processor along, give everything a rough chop first. Then pulse until everything is well combined, adding the tomato water if needed. The mixture should be somewhat pasty but still show bits of the individual ingredients.

Serve with toasted baguette rounds, crackers or raw veggies. Or try tossing it into your next pasta dish, soup or stew, for an extra burst of flavour!

The other morning I had it on rye toast topped with sliced, steamed beets. This combination was sublime.

Makes about 1 cup

~The Vegan Project