Black Olive Pate

Recipe courtesy Jean Anderson

1 pound large ripe black olives, pitted

1 large head garlic (about 2 to 3 ounces)

Olive oil

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Meanwhile, spread the olives out on several thickness of paper toweling, top with several more thicknesses of paper toweling, then roll up tight, and set aside (this is to rid the olives of as much moisture as possible so that the pate won't be soupy).

Slice off the top part of the head of garlic, exposing the cloves. Drizzle the head with olive oil. Wrap the whole head of garlic in a double thickness of aluminum foil, and then twist each loose end into a gooseneck sealing in the garlic. Place in the oven and roast until the garlic is very tender, about 1 hour; remove from the oven and cool to room temperature. Take out all cloves of garlic and put into a blender or food processor fitted with a metal chopping blade; add the olives and pepper, and puree by buzzing 15 seconds nonstop. Scrape down the sides of the blender or work bowl with a rubber spatula, buzz for another 15 seconds, then scoop all into a small bowl, and cover tightly. Store in a refrigerator until about 30 minutes before serving.

Mound into a small decorative bowl and serve as a cocktail spread on crisp crackers.