Olives and Lori go way, way, way back!  My parents have joked that when I was itty-bitty I would only eat black olives & Oreo’s from time to time, nothing else!  No surprise that I still really enjoy both, maybe the Oreo’s just a bit too much, but that’s a completely different issue.  So, when the ladies at Who Needs A Cape? were given the opportunity to taste some delicious products from Mario® Camacho Foods, I was thrilled!

I received a bottle of Mario® Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which possesses amazing quality and taste.  I’ve used it over and over since opening it, and the first thing I do when I take the top off is inhale, it smells as good as it tastes. A little goes a long way and I’ve used it in a variety of ways from coating tomatoes & peppers that I roasted, to drizzling over garlic or crostini.  Simply delicious, the way olive oil should be.

Also included in my shipment was a jar of gorgeous green Stuffed Queen Olives with Pimiento.   These aren’t the puny, sad looking green olives you sometimes see, oh no…these are big, healthy and stuffed with bright red flavorful pieces of pimiento.   These will pop off your holiday appetizer platters, no doubt about it!  Now onto my beloved black olives, I received 2 cans of black, one of Large Pitted Black Olives and one of Sliced Black Olives.  Both are amazingly fresh, the olives are firm and hold up in your recipes, cause no one wants a mushy olive, ugh! You certainly won’t be disappointed in their quality either.  I used the sliced black olives in my “7 Layer Mexican Dip” which is always a holiday favorite.

Now onto my recipe featuring Mario® Olives, I chose to make a “Feta & Olive Tapenade”.  What’s a “tapenade” you may wonder?  Tapenade is a Provençal paste or dip, made from black olives, capers, and anchovies.  Okay, well if you know me you know that there’s no way I’m going to add anchovies to anything, so we’ll just omit them altogether.  My inspiration to create this “Feta & Olive Tapenade” came from a wonderful appetizer at a very swanky restaurant that I’ve been to in the past.  They offered a platter with various dips that were simply amazing!  This was my first introduction to tapenade & it has stuck with me for many, many years.  The version that I created incorporates both black and green olives and feta for a savory combination.  Alongside the tapenade serve with some roasted pepper, garlic, and diced avocado for an amazing array of color to spread upon crostini.

You will not be disappointed in the quality and taste of these fine products from Mario®  Olives!  Your holiday recipes will have a burst of freshness and flavor, give them a try!

All of ladies at Who Needs A Cape? received products from Mario® Comacho Foods & will be presenting their product reviews along with amazing recipes incorporating the products throughout the month of November.  

Yield: Approximately 1 cup

Feta & Olive Tapenade

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Ingredients

• 1/2 can of Mario® Large Pitted Black Olives
• 6 Mario® Stuffed Queen Olives with Pimiento
• 1/3 cup crumbled Feta cheese
• 1 T parsley
• 2 T Mario® Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 T lemon juice
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In food processor combine all ingredients, pulse until blended & slightly chunky.
2. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Disclosure:  Mario Foods provided me with samples of their products to try for this review, all opinions made are my very own.