Tomato Salad with Olive Tapenade

Ingredients

• 5 tomatoes, medium sized, sliced into 1cm/ 0.2" thick rounds
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley leaves, left whole or roughly torn
• Extra olive oil, for drizzling
• 1 cup kalamata or other black deli olives, preferably unpitted (Note 1)
• 2 tsp capers, drained or rinsed (if packed in salt), chopped
• 1 garlic clove, medium, minced
• 1 large or 2 small anchovy fillets (Note 2), minced
• 1/4 tsp red or white wine vinegar
• 4 – 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, use your best stuff!

Steps

1. Season tomatoes: Place sliced tomatoes into a bowl. Sprinkle over the salt and toss well but gently. Leave to sit for 15 mins, then drain off any liquid the tomatoes have dropped. Meanwhile make the tapenade.
2. Pit olives if required. Combine olives, capers, garlic, anchovy and vinegar in a blender or food processor. Smaller is better, eg. a Nutribullet.
3. Add 4 tbsp of olive oil and blend until a rough paste forms, scraping down the sides as you go. If the paste is very thick and you are having trouble blending, add another 1 tbsp of olive oil to help it along.
4. You should have a nice paste that’s combined to a smooth but not super-fine puree (we want a little character), and isn’t excessively oily.
5. Drain your tomatoes one last time, then arrange slices overlapping on a large plate or platter. Dollop over the tomatoes 1/3 of the tapenade, or as much as you feel you want.
6. Garnish with parsley leaves. Drizzle salad with a little more olive oil (~1 tbsp). Serve with some remaining tapenade on the side so people can help themselves.