from Emma Minoli's "Taste of Piedmont" Class, 2007

1 cup of pitted black & green olives
3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
Extra-virgin olive oil
Splash of lemon juice
Crackers

In the bowl of a food processor, add the olives, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil & lemon juice.  Pulse until smooth, but still chunky. Add more extra-virgin olive oil if mixture is too dry. Spoon into a serving bowl. If not serving immediately, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 2 days. Be sure to bring it to room temperature and to mix it thoroughly before serving.

For serving, place the bowl of tapenade in the center of a large platter. Decoratively circle the tapenade bowl with the crackers and lemon slices.



from The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen with Nigel Slater, by Nigel Slater

2 medium sized heads of fennel
5 TB. olive oil
24 black olives
small bunch flat leaf parsley
2 balls buffalo mozzarella

Heat the grill. Slice the stalks and fronds from the fennel bulbs. Cut the bulbs into thin slices, no thicker than 1/8 inch. Lay the fennel on the grill, letting it color first on one side, then the other. Depending on the heat of your grill, this could take anything up to ten minutes.

Pour olive oil into a bowl and add the olives. Chop the parsley roughly and add it to the olive oil with a seasoning of salt and black pepper. Life the fennel off the grill and drop it into the dressing. Toss gently. Divide the salad between four plates. Slice the mozzarella thickly, or split it by hand, then lay the pieces on top of the salad. Drizzle over any remaining dressing or add a little more olive oil.