Samsa / Black Olive Paste with a Roman Twist

The contemporary version of this spread, tapenade, is a classic hors d'oeuvre in
Provence served on slices of bread. It is also a very versatile sauce that can
be tossed with mushrooms and oil in a frying pan, spread on a roasted chicken,
blended into a salad dressing, spread on a turkey sandwich....

We add the step of desalting your olives, which is unusual and time-consuming,
but which will improve the flavor of your paste to no end--less bitter and less
salty, thus pairable with a good wine. 1 kg (2 pounds) black olives, choose the
Greek style olive simply salted and in their own little bit of oil, slightly
shriveled.

1 garlic clove
½ lemon
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 anchovy filets (the anchovies should be cured in salt)
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon anise seeds

First pit your olives. This can be done by hand in a basin of water, or in a
cuisinart-style mixer by pulsing 2-4 times. Now you need to desalt them, and
reduce their natural bitterness. If you've used your mixer, now transfer the
olives to a basin of water and allow gravity to help you separate the pits from
the flesh. Change the water 6-7 times, using a finemesh strainer to hold onto
the tender olive flesh between changes. You can leave the olives in the water
while you go on to the next step.

Prepare the garlic : on a small plate, squeeze the lemon juice, sprinkle the
pinch of fine salt, take a sharp pronged fork and place the prongs flat on the
plate, take a peeled garlic clove (the larger the easier to handle) and scrape
it back and forth on the tips of the prongs. You will produce a fine puree that
will be lightly cured by the acid of the lemon juice, ideal for cold sauces and
salad dressings.

Prepare the anchovies: Pour 3 tablespoons of the olive oil into a very small
frying pan, add your anchovy filets and stir with a fork, lightly mashing the
filets to disolve them into the oil. Let bubble lightly for just a moment.
Remove from the flame and add the pureed garlic. Return to the flame and stir
while letting it heat for 30 seconds. Remove from the flame.

Go back to your cuisinart-mixer and pour in your olives, which you've strained
well, a tablespoon of your anchovy puree, the remaining olive oil, and the cumin
and anise grains. Mix till there are still some olive morsels, but it is smooth
enough to spread.

Serve with bread or in a flaky pastry dough. This mixture can be kept in the
refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.