Tapenade (olive spread)

Tapenade or olive spread is made in Provence.
This is the original recipe.

You can make green olive or black olive tapenade.
You can even mix both black and green olives its delicious too!

Ingredients:
1 can of black olives (the best are greek-italian-nicoise style) - or green olives-
----Pitted olives are better and easier to prepare but the non pitted ones are tastier-----
1/2 little jar of capers (see picture)
10 anchovies filets
2 garlic cloves (more or less to taste)
Olive oil

How to make it:

Take a small blender and put all the ingredients together.
Add some olive oil.
Blend until it looks like the picture.
You can add olive oil until you get the needed consistency.

Spread it on some good bread toasts, use it in salads to add some provence flavors to it (use tapenade, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar), or a little bit on your pasta sauce, etc ... .

Enjoy !!

Ratatouille

The ONE and ONLY Ratatouille ! 


I used to cook ratatouille in a large pan, but a friend gave me that recipe, and since that day i only cook it that way.
It's tasty, confit, simply delicious !

Ingredients: 

1 large eggplant
2 zucchini
2 bell peppers ( red and yellow if possible)
1 onion
1 garlic head
3 tbs of olive oil
2 tbs of tomato paste
About 20 little cherry tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbs of mixed herbs (oregano, thyme, rosemary)
1 bay leaf

How to make it: 


Preheat oven at 200C° celcius or 390F°.
Peel half of the zucchinis and eggplant (see picture)
Dice the vegetables (eggplant, bell peppers, zucchinis, onion)
Do not dice the tomatoes
Chop the garlic
Put in a large bowl the tomato paste, the herbs, the bay leaf, the salt and pepper, the olive oil and the garlic. Stir well.
Add all the vegetables and mix them with your hands so that all the veggies are covered with the tomato mixture.
Put them in one layer in a baking oven sheet, in the middle of the oven, ideally.
Stir often so they dont burn and cook heavenly
Cook for about one hour until confit !

Ratatouille can be eaten, cold, room temperature or hot. With rice, bulgur, pasta, bread... Endless possibilities : )

Bon appétit !