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
