Black olive tapinade

We've been making this black olive tapinade as a nibbly for guests for ages, and have recently started making it just for the two of us, once in a while, if dinner is far off and we are peckish. It's very simple, and extremely satisfying. You can make it as savory, sweet or salty as you like, and as chunky or smooth as you like. It goes with bread, crackers and toasts (or, if you find yourself home alone, just dig in with a spoon).

What you need (~ 1 cup):

• 1 cup pitted black olives
• dash olive oil
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp capers (optional)
• dash salt*

* Only add salt if you are serving the tapinade with bread. If you are serving it with salted crackers (such as the terribly good Carr's cheese table water crackers shown above), you do not need to salt the tapinade.

What you do:

• Place all ingredients in a mini-blender, and blend until it reaches your desired consistency. Add just enough olive oil to make it pleasantly spreadable.