Red Pepper and Artichoke Tapenade

I have to be honest with you, I gave this the name Red Pepper & Artichoke Tapenade, because I thought it sounded a lot better than “Leftovers from the Fridge Tapenade.” I’m sure you agree. Essentially, I rummaged through the fridge with reckless abandon, pulled out half jars of things, put them all into the food processor, and pressed “on.” The result was phenomenal! This is a delicious tapenade, and it's so easy. Let me encourage you to do the same thing. Let me also encourage you to always have things on hand to allow you to do this, namely Melissa's Fire Roasted Sweet Red Bell Peppers, Melissa’s Hearts of Palm, capers, black olives, and a jar of marinated artichokes. You would be amazed at what these three things can do. I made a wonderful relish for wrap sandwiches using a combination of these ingredients that I will be telling you about later in the week

If making tapenade scares you because you don't know what you would do with it, let me tell you, there are endless ways in which to use it. Personally, I could just scoop it right of the bowl and into my mouth, but a wonderful way to use it that will really impress your guests (although we're not trying to impress people here, at least not so that it's obvious) is to scoop it into two ramekins, place one on either end of the dining table, and, as your centerpiece, have a big bowl of different Artisan breads. Suggest the tapenade be spread onto the bread in place of butter, and your guests will go crazy! This stuff is so good! You could also use it as a dip for crackers or crudités, dollop it onto an English muffin, top with shredded cheese, and run it under the broiler for a wonderful appetizer, use it as a topping for grilled fish, or mix it into egg salad or the filling for deviled eggs. You will enjoy it no matter what you do.

I'm going to try to write out the recipe as well as I can, but please know I was literally dumping jars of various items from my fridge into a sieve to let them drain, and then emptying the sieve directly into the food processor. Essentially, it's important to have grated Parmesan, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. From there you can just use what you like. Personally, I love this combination, but feel free to experiment.

Red Pepper and Artichoke Tapenade

½ 7-ounce jar Melissa's Fire Roasted Sweet Red Bell Peppers, drained and chopped
½ 12-ounce jar Marinated Artichoke Hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
1 small can of pitted black olives, drained
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup olive oil
1 heaping tablespoon drained capers

1 large clove garlic, as fresh as possible
1-1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (I used a Meyer lemon because that's what I had)

Toss everything into the food processor and pulse until it's finely chopped. Taste it, and season it with more salt or pepper as you see fit.

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