Black Olive Pate-Pasta de Azeitonas Pretas

By amaliana

"Another wonderful pate from Setubal's Pousada de Sao Felipe. Make sure that the olives you use for it are fleshy, gutsy ones-the Kalamatas, for example."

Ingredients

• 1 pound large ripe olives, pitted
• 1 large bud(entire head)of garlic(2 to 3 ounces in all)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• olive oil for drizzling

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to slow 300F. Meanwhile, spread the olives out on several thicknesses 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). Wrap the whole, unpeeled bud of garlic in a double thickness of aluminum foil, then twist each loose end into a gooseneck, sealing in the garlic. Place in the oven and roast for 1 hour, remove from the oven and cool to room temperature. Now peel the garlic, clove by clove, and drop into an electric blender cup or a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade; add the olives and pepper and puree by buzzing 15 seconds nonstop. Scrape down the sides of the blender cup or work bowl with a rubber spatula, buzz another 15 seconds, then scoop all into a small bowl and cover tight. Store in the refrigerator until about 1/2 hour before serving. Mound into a samll decorative bowl and serve as a cocktail spread with Pao Torrado or crisp crackers.