Mushroom Muffalatta Salsa - Weekend Recipe

We have several high end and ethnic grocery stores in our area.  One of them sells olives in an olive bar.  I got a container with a mixture of all the olives available in the bar that were already pitted to use in the recipe.  If this is not possible where you live, get a can of black ripe olives and a jar of pitted large green olives or Kalamata olives. The recipe will still be quite tasty.

We made this several times in July, serving it to party guests and at the Garden Club meeting.  In the process I found my favorite version was when we grilled the peppers and mushrooms before chopping them into the blend.  The sweetness of the grilled peppers and the smokiness of the mushrooms really added great flavor components to the dish. 

One batch was made with sautéed peppers, mushrooms and olives that hubby had left over from making breakfast omelets. This was sweet and savory at the same time. 

The best part about the recipe was that no version was bad.  They were all tasty, all popular with others, and all disappeared in a day.

Mushroom Muffalatta Dip / Salsa

¾ to 1 cup Olives, pitted (can be brined or olive oil cured), chopped fine

1 red sweet pepper, chopped fine

3 to 4 button or bebe mushrooms, chopped fine

1 Shallot, chopped fine

1 clove garlic, minced

1 to 2 Tbls. fresh flat parsley, minced

2 teaspoons oregano, minced (or 1 tsp dry)

¼ cup olive oil

2 Tbls. Wine or herbal vinegar

Directions:

You can hand chop the vegetables or use a food processor.  You do not want to make this into a paste, you want to see the chunks.  I hand chopped the olives, peppers and mushrooms and herbs. 

Place chopped olives, peppers, and mushrooms in a bowl.  In a smaller bowl combine minced herbs, olive oil and vinegar.  Whisk together.  Pour over other ingredients and combine well.  Allow to meld in refrigerator for an hour or more before serving.

Serve with sliced bread or crackers like a crostini.

Optional preparation method: to make this into a sandwich spread, run the olives, vegetables and mushrooms in a food processor, then add herbs, oil and vinegar and blend until you create a paste.  Spread on sandwiches.  Will keep up to a month in the refrigerator.