Topic: Make your own olive pate or tapenade

[okra]

Why not try making your own olive pate or tapenade which is great spread on crackers, fresh bread, on pitta bread or used when making pizza's. Our recipe is vegetarian but you can add anchovies or other ingredients such as hot peppers or sun dried tomatoes for a different flavour. The following recipe makes about a cup and a half full and will keep in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.

(1) Remove the stones from a mix of black and green olives - enough for a cup full.

(2) Peel and cut finely two cloves of garlic

(3) Cut finely a sprig of parsley, some basil and chives

(4) Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend till fine

(5) Add a teaspoon of lemon juice and two tablespoons of olive oil

(6) Re-blend until all ingredients until thoroughly mixed.

[artichoke]

Good idea....I have a pack of rather salty green olives that no-one likes, but this looks tasty. Thanks.

The trouble is, we know what to do with various bits and pieces of food, but we forget.......things languish in the fridge and eventually get thrown out, contributing to the X tonnes of food wasted in GB (not by me because I am a warbaby. My motto is "nothing is thrown away until it has passed through a mother....maybe TMI)

[okra]

Good idea....I have a pack of rather salty green olives that no-one likes, but this looks tasty. Thanks.

The trouble is, we know what to do with various bits and pieces of food, but we forget.......things languish in the fridge and eventually get thrown out, contributing to the X tonnes of food wasted in GB (not by me because I am a warbaby. My motto is "nothing is thrown away until it has passed through a mother....maybe TMI)

Ditto - there is always a use for leftovers and bits and pieces of food

[gazza1960]

Tasty collection of ingredients for pitta breads......talking of which.

we buy some crackin pittas when we stay in Latchi, North west Cyprus each year but its not easy to make the
same in my meager kitchen.

Ive made some yesterday,,,,there ok  !!!!!!!! and no complaints from Jude.

white bread flour
salt
dried yeast
wrm water and
extra virgin oil


I add half wholemeal flour and half white.

that said,they dont have that lovely soft consistency that we buy from the bakers though  !!!! :-\

Do you have any cypriot/Greek Old country recipes for them as we do eat them a lot  !!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers

Gazza

[peanuts]

Gazza, did you place the pitta in a polythene bag immediately you took them out the oven?  That makes them soft.

[artichoke]

I have formed a habit of keeping dough in the fridge, either ordinary white bread dough or made from the ready-mixed bags of ciabatta flour that supermarkets stock (just add water and olive oil, ready in seconds). When I want some flatbreads or pitta, I pull a chunk off the dough, flour it, and roll it out into a pitta-like shape, then dry fry it for a few minutes both sides. It is really tasty and quick - puffs up like pitta.

I am astonished by how long dough keeps in the fridge, in a bowl inside a plastic bag.

[peanuts]

I really must try that, Artichoke, as I regularly make our 'ordinary' bread, plus different recipes.  Biggest challenge for me, as I've said when posting about keeping a sourdough starter, is to remember to break off that lump to keep in the first place!

[goodlife]

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about keeping a sourdough starter, is to remember to break off that lump to keep in the first place!I take small portion aside before I start to make bread...its still its 'runny' stage..and I give it more water and flour and let it start again. When first signs of 'bubble' appear it goes into fridge where it keeps week or two untill needed again..or if I know it will be use again later on same week I just give more 'food' once a day until baking day.
Continous feeding makes sourdough really sour..it not for everybody's taste, but will raise heavy flours like rye really well.
My gran used to leave some 'bits' of dough stuck on side of the dough bowl and just covered the bowl with tea towel and stored it in airy place until following week when it would be used again. The dried bits take longer to 'disolve' and get going again but will work as well.
I used to do this as well until one day somebody place plate on top the bowl..and everything got mouldy.. >:( ::)

[gazza1960]

No,the recipe I have says to wire rack them initially then cover them in a damp towel,which I did....its hard to put across just how soft the cypriot ones were on here but I brought back 2 bluddy big bags home as they were huge and great for stuffing with grilled lamb chunks in salad and home made Tzatziki.


These were my yesterdays efforts,we wack em in the micro for 20 seconds and they puff up lovely and then I just slice em and stuff with whatever.

maybe when I just make them with white flour instead of 50 % white 50 % wholemeal they may be more akin to the ones we brought home.

[peanuts]

Gazza, I"m so grateful for your mention of  how to keep pitta soft, as it has inspired me to make some today, not having made any for at least 6 years, since we lived in the UK in fact, where I always used to do them in our gas oven.  I've now just made a batch this afternoon in our electric fan oven, and they have turned out brilliantly.  I'm so pleased, and I'm not the only one! Also I remembered that I wrap them in a dry teatowel for three minutes, while the next lot are cooking,  then swop the first ones into a big poly bag, and put the new ones in the teatowel, and the next three in the oven . . . ..   a first production line. I've just finished  and I have  17, all puffed up, and soft. 
Now I'll have to take a couple round to our friend in the village who just happens to be a retired Parisien patassier!!  We regularly swop things we've just made - it's great fun.  As you can imagine his  creations are a little more professional than my own, positively beautiful,  although I think my  own often taste better (shhhhh!)

[gazza1960]

No worries Peanuts im pleased you felt inspired,and they look great.
You could juggle yours as footballs as there so light and airy...... ;)


apologies to Okra for stealing your thunder on your Tapanade thread,but at least it was kept active... ;)

Enjoy  !!!!!!!!

Gazza

[Debs]

Peanuts, they look fab!

What's your recipe??

Debs

[peanuts]

Debs, I've started a new thread for pitta bread with the recipe you've asked for.  Good luck.

[okra]

No worries Peanuts im pleased you felt inspired,and they look great.
You could juggle yours as footballs as there so light and airy...... ;)


apologies to Okra for stealing your thunder on your Tapanade thread,but at least it was kept active... ;)

Enjoy  !!!!!!!!

Gazza


No problem - enjoyed reading about pitta bread recipes

[Fuchsias]

As a matter of interest, how long does the tapenade keep in the fridge

[okra]

As a matter of interest, how long does the tapenade keep in the fridge

Keeps for 2-3 weeks but in small batches it's usually gone by then  ;D ;D