Sometimes referred to as french "Provençal caviar", it doesn't get any better than tapenade spread on a toasted baguette slice served with a glass of wine, and it's a lot cheaper than a round-trip ticket to Paris! If you love olives, experiment with the measurements of the recipe, or the kind of olives you use. Make it your own family recipe like they do in France. Bon appetit!

Yield: about 1 cup of spread

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups pitted Kalamata or other black olives

• 2-3 Tbs. olive oil

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest

• 1 tablespoon drained, rinsed capers

• 2 garlic cloves

• 2 canned, oil-packed anchovy fillets, or a tsp. of anchovy paste (Note: anchovy paste is saltier than oil-packed canned fillets, hence if you use anchovy paste your tapenade will be on the salty side.)

• 2-3 Tbs. parsley rinsed

• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, or 1/4+ teaspoon dried thyme

• 1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

• Baguette slices, crackers, or vegetables for serving

Preparation:

1. Place the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, drained capers, garlic, anchovies, thyme, parsley, and black pepper in a food processor and process until finely minced. (see *Note)

2. Add the pitted olives and process until all the ingredients are finely chopped, to the consistency you like, but not completely pureed.

3. Serve the olive spread on toasted baguette slices, crackers, or with fresh crudités.

*Note: if you mince the garlic, capers, thyme, parsley, and anchovies before adding to the olives in the food processor, you will have better control over the consistency of the tapenade.