Make This Salsa

Ooooooh boy does this cookbook stink. Not the recipes, but the paper itself, which was stashed in a damp Oregon storage locker for six years. It reeks, musty and moldy. But I thought of this cookbook for years in places far from tortillas and beans. And olives. You must try Marjie Lambert’s recipe for olive salsa. It. Is. Sooo. Good. So good, we had it made by the bucket and served at our wedding to 75 dancing guests. 

Yep, I thought of those olives in Thailand. I don’t even remember when or where I acquired that cookbook, but I had visions of salsa 8,000 miles away (she has a winner black-bean salsa, too; and if I remember correctly, a yummy lime tortilla soup….). Now the book is back in hand (stinky though it is), and I give you the recipe. It’s simple. It’s a perfect party dish. Pine nuts and anchovies are key. Feel free to play around with olive and vinegar varieties:

Olive Salsa, from Salsa Cooking by Marjie Lambert

1 jar green olives (pitted)
1 jar black olives (pitted)
minced garlic
chopped jalapenos
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 can anchovy fillets, minced
1/4 cup roasted, chopped pine nuts
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Drain olives and coarsely chop. Mix with other ingredients and let sit half an hour before serving.