This Green Olive and Almond Spread is a delicious appetizer spread to add to your party menu! It’s a creamy dip that has some texture to it due to the use of ground-up almonds. Green olives are a delicious pairing with almonds to create a nice spread for baguette slices.
Green Olive and Almond Spread
This Green Olive and Almond Spread recipe suggests using Spanish Marcona almonds- those fabulous skinned almonds that you see in Gourmet Shops. They’re a little flatter than ordinary almonds with a richer flavor. Most Marcona almonds that you purchase have already been sautéed in oil and lightly salted.
Look for them at Costco or in gourmet markets. My market has Marcona almonds in little containers near the gourmet cheese section. They’re so good!
How to skin (blanch) regular almonds:
If you have regular raw almonds on hand and you don’t wish to invest in Marcona almonds, you can certainly skin them yourself (otherwise known as blanching). Bring water to a boil. Drop the raw almonds in the boiling water for exactly one minute. Drain. Rinse with cool water. Then put the almonds on a paper towel and you should be able to hold an almond between two fingers and slide the skin off. Then continue with the recipe and follow directions for toasting the almonds.
I like to include this green olive and almond spread on a larger appetizer platter so it’s presented as a choice among other things. It’s awfully good spread onto sliced cucumber or baguette. And I enjoy it on flatbread or crackers too.
If you’re looking for more appetizer spread recipes, you might like to try these:
- Cranberry Caramelized Onion Cheese Spread
- Butternut Squash Spread on Baguette Slices
- Smoked Trout Spread
- Cucumber Cream Cheese Spread
- Vegetable Goat Cheese Spread
- Apple Cheese Spread
- Pimento Cheese Spread
- Roasted Sweet Red Pepper Spread
If you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you’ll find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card below.
Green Olive and Almond Spread
Ingredients
- ½ cup pitted green olives (see notes below)
- ¼ cup toasted Marcona almonds (or regular almonds that have been skinned and toasted)
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon dried tarragon
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- In a small food processor or powerful blender, combine the olives, almonds, lemon juice and tarragon. Pulse until roughly chopped. Add the oil in a steady stream and process just until the oil is absorbed.
- The spread should have a coarse but easily spoonable texture. Let stand for about 30 minutes for the flavor to develop before serving.
Notes
- For the olives, I like the canned green olives by the brands Lindsay or Early California.
- To toast the almonds, spread on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F., stirring once, until fragrant, 7 to 9 minutes.
- Serving suggestions: with flatbread, or thin-sliced cucumbers or baguette.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
