So for O? Well, it's Obvious! O is for Olives!
Are you an olive hater? I was for a long time. I think mostly because the olives I most frequently ran into were black olives on pizza. Black olives on pizza are a true curse if you don't like them... because after you pull them off, the pizza STILL TASTES LIKE OLIVES. Ugh ugh ugh. Hate. Still can't stand that kind of olive.
I had a boyfriend when I was younger who convinced me to try kalamata olives on pizza, and for that, I am thankful. Turns out I have really absolutely adored kalamatas from day one. From kalamatas, I moved on to trying green olives-- which I mostly love, though not canned-- and now I'm extremely fond of both. Hard to remember that I ever didn't like them... or, I guess, that I ever hadn't given them a real try.
Anyway, I made a very very simple olive-walnut spread with them. 1.75c mixed olives (I mixed kalamatas and my favorite, Castelvetranos) + 1/2c toasted walnuts + 1 tbsp dijon mustard + some fresh thyme + 1/4c olive oil. Puree. Sprinkle some walnuts on top. Eat!
Not the most beautiful thing in the world, but tasty. Something about it kept telling my brain that there was cheese in it. Really weird. Combination of the saltiness of the kalamatas and the butteriness of the Castelvetranos? I dunno. I liked it, though, and boy, was it filling.
We ate it with some sourdough baguette and celery for dipping, and some sliced asian pear for palate-cleansing.
The Emperor commandeered the plate of pear slices and ate almost all of them, which is too bad because they were great alongside this spread. Really nice contrast. He refused to try anything else. I was a little surprised by this-- I had set some whole kalamatas aside for him because I figured he wouldn't try the spread but then he wouldn't eat those either. Weird, but whatever.
Here he is climbing a tree:
7 comments:
I am one of those people who falls in the category of not liking olives. It is a very aquired taste I think, and I really want to like them! The best so far I've had are garlic-stuffed olives but of course, they still tasted like olives haha. My fiance LOVES olives though so I think I will make this recipe for him, sneak a taste of it and hopefully I'll enjoy it too :)
I've also selected you & your blog to win the Liebster Award! I really enjoy reading your blog, happy vegan mofo! :) Here's the link:
http://wheretheveggiesare.blogspot.com/2011/10/liebster-blog-award.html
That dip looks great, I love olives! There is something about kalamatas that makes them taste a bit like cheese when combined with a certain flavour (although I'm not sure what that flavour is). I ate some kalamatas with AFR mango bbq beans, and I kept getting a distinct cheese taste. Really freaked me out, although it could be an avenue worth exploring.
I hated olives as a child, but I LOVE them now and can`t get enough! I`m not sure when the switch happened...one day I was curious and decided to try a green olive when I was a teenager and realized that they were pretty tasty after all, and this weird aversion I had was nonsense. Anyhoo, this spread sounds really amazing!
hahaha - I LOVE olives...even those black ones you loathe. I would take the whole ones and pop them on the tips of each finger and eat them that way when I was still a kid. OK, I still do this on occasion. :)
All of your A-Z posts during this season of VeganMoFo have been so entertaining.
By the way, I ALSO nominated you for a Liebster Award! For more info, go to my post. Cheers, mate!
http://www.abitaddictedtocookbooks.com/2011/10/what-honor.html
i have a love hate with olives too.. in some things i really love them.. and in others i cant deal with them.. i am thinking this dip might be the in love one!:) i love love your theme!!
Richa @ Hobby And More Food Blog
i used to hate olives (and eggplant, beets, cucumbers, raw carrots and parnsips) - but i love them (all!) now! it was the kalamata olive that changed my mind, too. so yum!
i'm gonna have to make your mixed olive 'n walnut spread. it sounds like everything i love the most! mmmmmm!
also: the Emperor is absolutely adorable!
I love olives and this spread looks great. Can't wait to try it.
Post a Comment