A cooking extravaganza — Spread recipes

We went to Florida to see the family last week. I’ve finally gotten in the habit of cleaning the kitchen before we leave town. This time, I didn’t have time to completely clean out the fridge as well, but I finished that job by dumping the last of the Christmas leftovers when we got back home Friday.

The end result was so little food in the house we had to order takeout for dinner. We hardly ever do that — not even in a good economy! The longer I cook, the pickier I’ve become about eating out. I find so few restaurants actually meet my standards. If the first thought I have upon tasting restaurant food is, This would taste better if I made this at home, I mark the place off my list.

But yesterday, it was back in the kitchen for me. First up: A loaf of whole wheat bread. I’ve always loved bread-baking, and since I’ve been on a more flexible schedule the past couple of months, I’ve made all our bread. You can actually make homemade bread fairly quickly, or even in a breadmaker, but I find it tastes best, and has the best crumb, when I let it rise slowly. Next time I make some, I’ll take pictures and post the recipe.

I also made biscuits, mexican chicken lasagna and homemade mac and cheese yesterday. But today I’d like to direct you to the two wonderful spreads I made:

• Walnut-Feta Pate
• Tapenade

I’ve talked a little bit about my addiction to Walnut-Feta Pate before. [But to be truly fair to the pate, it doesn't taste exactly like deviled ham. It's more complex and interesting. It's just also nice and salty.] This delicious concoction from The Moosewood Cookbook has been my lunch for more workdays than I can count. It’s just one of many well worn pages in my Moosewood Cookbook. You know, one of those pages the book falls open to on its own? And the page is covered in spills and stains? Those are the great recipes.

Walnut-Feta Pate Recipe
from the Moosewood Cookbook

1 c. walnuts
Handful of flat-leaved parsley
1 c. crumbled feta
1/2 c. milk
1 t. paprika
2 cloves garlic
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of oregano
Drizzle of olive oil

Pulse the walnuts and parsley in the food processor til they’re nicely chopped together. Dump everything else in and whizz it around a few seconds. This is great on sandwiches, crackers or with raw veggies as a dip.

Tapenade Recipe

12 oz. great olives
1/4 c. capers
2 cloves garlic
Olive oil

First, a word about olives. “Great” olives do not come in a can. Decent olives may come in a jar, usually from another country. They will have a varietal name, and not just be called “olives.” You may also find decent olives in an olive bar at your local grocer.

Pit the olives if they aren’t pitted. Sometimes you can pit olives by hand, just pressing the pits out with your fingers. I tend to use a cherry pitter — which means I don’t buy many small olives, since they slip right through the pitter whole. But you can also find pretty good olives already pitted if you look.

Rinse and drain the olives and capers. Dump everything in the food processor except olive oil. Start with about 1/4 c. of olive oil. Mix. As soon as the olives and capers are chopped, the mixture should form a paste that lumps together. If it doesn’t, add a bit more olive oil. It shouldn’t take much more, however.

Store this in the fridge. Great on crackers with soft cheese. I’m using mine as a sandwich spread with fresh mozzarella and roasted red peppers later this week.

Tagged as: bread, recipe, spreads