This wonderfully satisfying olive dip comes from David Leite who discovered it while dining at the restaurant A Bolota, located on the plains of the eastern Alentejo region in Portugal. Goes lovely with a plate of crudités, crackers or bread, or even on grilled fish.
"Don’t make this in a food processor. The bowls of most processors are too large to allow the scant amount of ingredients to whip up to the right consistency. A small narrow blender, or a mini chop or handheld blender, works best."
Reprinted with permission from The New Portuguese Table by David Leite (Clarkson Potter 2009).
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 6 oil-packed anchovy fillets
- 1 small garlic clove, smashed
- Leaves and tender stems of 6 fresh cilantro sprigs
- Pinch of freshly ground white pepper
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2/3 cup pitted green olives such as manzanilla, rinsed quickly if particularly salty, roughly chopped
Preparation:
Makes about 1 1/2 cups.
Add the milk, anchovies, garlic, two thirds of the cilantro, and the pepper to a blender and pulse to combine. With the motor running, pour the oil in what the Portuguese call a fio, or fine thread. Keep whirring until the oil is incorporated and the mixture thickens, 30 to 40 seconds.
Scrape the dip into a serving bowl and stir in the olives. Mince the remaining cilantro, sprinkle on top, and serve.
