I bought a jar of Kalamata olives only to find out once I was home that I had a full jar already. As a result they didn’t only go in the salad but in the dressing as well. And that is OK. There is no such thing as too much olive anyway. I’ve always liked the olive dressing in Greek salads. The one I created wouldn’t qualify as Greek as I didn’t use many of the ingredients that go in it. It is simply one of the vinaigrettes I usually make, spiked with olives. It is so delicious.
In addition to salads, I’ve been using it as a spread on my sandwiches—it gives them that fresh olivo-acidic muffuletta taste. One can probably find many more uses to this dressing: a dip for breads and vegetables, reminiscent of tapenade but lighter; a marinade for brochettes—why not?
Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette
Makes about a cup
¼ cup distilled white vinegar
½ cup and 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled
¼ cup pitted Kalamata olives
½ teaspoon mustard
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
Freshly ground pepper
Blend all the ingredients together in a blender or food processor. Voilà!