If you’re looking for a simple vegetarian appetizer, I’ve got one for you. Green olive tapenade on toast topped with lemony Manchego cheese. Really simple, yet surprisingly delicious.
I looked at the condiments and other items that were stored at the door of the refrigerator. I was able to quickly locate the sad jar of green olives among the other condiments, probably there ever since Lost finished and Lady Gaga showed up at the VMAs in a meat outfit.
I opened the jar and crossed my fingers that they weren’t as ancient as I had assumed. After a quick sniff of approval, I ended the olives’ suffering by throwing them into a blender.
Look at the result I got! Toasts topped with cheese, olives, pepper, and lemon zest. It’s simple to make them in large quantities, so if you find a jar of olives in your fridge that has been there for a while but has been neglected, give this recipe a shot.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 clove of minced garlic
- 1 baguette, sliced
- 1 ½ cups of grated Manchego cheese
- 1 cup of Spanish green olives
- ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 tablespoons of softened butter
- 1 tablespoon of capers
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- zest of 1 lemon (more for garnish)
- fresh black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
- After giving them a quick rinse, add the olives, capers, garlic, lemon zest, sugar, and olive oil to a food processor. Just a couple of minutes in the blender should do it.
- In a flat layer on a baking sheet, spread butter on one side of each bread slice. Put them on a low broiler for a minute or two to lightly toast them.
- Toasted side down for an additional minute before turning over.
- The unbuttered side of the toasts was spread with tapenade and then topped with cheese. Keep under the broiler until the cheese has melted. The toasts should be topped with freshly grated lemon rind and crushed black pepper.