Olive & Sundried Tomato Tapenade Crostini

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Appetizer | 63 comments

I was contacted by Mezzetta awhile back with information on how to throw a 20 minute Miracle Party. Um 20 minutes? Yeah, do tell me more please ; ) So they graciously sent me a few complimentary jars of Mezzetta Products and some information & ideas on how to pull this off… So are you a little skeptical? I sure was. But hey, I’m game… so bring it on…

I do always try to keep things simple when I’m entertaining at home. I do as much before hand as possible so that I can enjoy my time with my friends. But of course, Italians have known this secret to effortless entertaining – keep it simple & use the best quality ingredients available. & When entertaining, I think an appetizer spread is a great option! So go ahead & cross off entertaining from your list this holiday season. With a quick trip to the market & a handful of Mezzetta products you can create the ultimate 20 minute Mezzetta Miracle Party! I did!

The friendly folks at Mezzetta even put together the following list of ideas to get you started. Here’s what they suggested…

MEZZETTA MARTINI BAR: Get the party started right by offering savory, spicy, traditional or even a Gibson with Mezzetta’s selection of Martini Olives, Stuffed Olives & yes, of course Cocktail Onions.

MAKE ME A CROSTINI: Create a tasty spread of crostini toppers for guests to choose from like Roasted Red Pepper & Feta, Lemon Artichoke Parmigiano, Ricotta & Kalamata Olive, Baked Goat Cheese in Marinara

TRIO OF TAPENADES: Whip up Mezzetta’s easy recipes for a Sun-Dried Tomato, Kalamata Olive and Artichoke and Green Olive Tapenade and add them to your Crostini bar for additional flavors & colors.

ULTIMATE ANTIPASTI: Pair some of your favorite meats & cheeses w/Artichoke Hearts, Red/Yellow Roasted Peppers, Castelvetrano Olives, Golden Greek Peperonicini & anything else your heart desires!

I had a party to go to this weekend & this was a fabulous opportunity to put this to the test! I decided to make my own variation of a Crostini w/Sun Dried Tomato & Olive Tapenade using my complimentary Mezzetta products! It was DEE-LICIOUS! & a complete smash hit at the party! It made enough Tapenade to cover 2 large baguettes so it’s definitely budget friendly which is an added bonus! In the time the Crostini were toasting you could whip up the Tapenade Mixture in the Food Processor! Does it get any easier than that? I think not!

Here’s my recipe!

What you’ll need:
1 cup MEZZETTA Garlic Stuffed Olives – Drained
1 cup Black Olives – Drained
2 cloves of Garlic
2 tbsp Capers – Drained
1/2 cup of MEZZETTA Sun-Ripened Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil
1/3 cup – 1/2 cup Olive Oil (reserved from sundried tomatoes)
3 tbsp Fresh Parsley
2 tsp Fresh Thyme
1 Baguette

What to do:
Remove garlic cloves from MEZZETTA Olives & set aside. Place your Olives, 2 cloves of Garlic, Capers & Sun Dried Tomatoes into your food processor & pulse gently. You do NOT want to this become a sauce. It needs to have texture! Add in the herbs and gently pulse. Slowly stream in the olive oil just until combined.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice your baguette, gently brush a light coat of olive oil on top & toast slices until golden & crisp. Spread the Tapenade mixture on top of Crostini & garnish with a single sprig of Parsley.

So are you liking this Miracle Party idea of Mezzetta’s? I thought you might! SO……because I love you all bunches, I asked the friendly folks at Mezzetta if they’d be willing to donate a sampling of their fabulous products to us & HOORAY for GIVEAWAYS They said yes. If you’d like to be the lucky recipient of some of their products (& hello who wouldn’t) just leave me a comment below telling me which Mezzetta product is your favorite. That’s it. Easy Peasy (well maybe not so easy, they do have loads of great products)

EDITED TO ADD: Contest has ended. Thank you for your entries.

Okay here’s the legal schmeagal…I am sorry to say that the contest is only open to US Residents! Contest will be open until Thursday at NOON EST (well that’s because it’s my time zone LOL). One lucky winner will be drawn by Random Number Generator and will be notified via email. Winner has 24 hours to confirm or another winner will be drawn. ONE entry per person. Duplicate entries will disqualify you (so play fair!)

So what are you waiting for? Leave me a comment below! GOOD LUCK!

Buon Appetito!