Shiitake Tapenade

Sometimes I create recipes because I have stuff in my fridge that I need to use up. Sometimes I create recipes because something has come in to season and I want to play with it in a new and creative way. And sometimes I have a whole ton of bread kicking around and I need something to eat it with.

Okay- well the first two happen waaaaay more often than the third.

We had a great time on Saturday at our Get Baked: Gluten Free Style bread making workshop. (NEW DATE ADDED! June 18th. Come Get Baked).  Lindsay, our delightful baker extraordinaire, left a whole bunch of dough behind, and not one to let food go to waste, I baked the whole lot of it on Saturday. We had gluten-free pita, and a few types of loaves. It was amazing.

So for dinner Saturday evening, I needed something to go with all that bread. So I whipped up three AMAZING dips and tapenades.

Now, were this a blog where I only wrote once every blue moon, I would offer you all three of the recipes. But since I share love with you everyday, today you get just one amazing one.

Now, I was calling this a Shiitake Tapenade. And I got to thinking, what does  this hoity-toity ‘tapenade’ word even mean. So I looked it up.

Turns out, what I made isn’t a tapenade at all. A tapendade traditionally has olives as it’s main ingredient. At least that’s what they say in the Southern France region of Provence. Well you know what South of France? Up here, in Canada, we can buy shiitake mushroom plugs, fill logs with them and grow our own mushrooms so we’re going to make it with mushrooms- whether you like it or not.

That’s right! I am taking on the shiitake mushroom growing adventure this summer. Can’t wait to share that with you. We are buying the mushroom plugs and going to fill some trees up by my cottage with them and see what happens. Oh the nerdy nutrition excitement.

Shiitakte mushrooms taste amazing and are actually considered a medicinal mushroom. Booya. And despite what you may read here, there or anywhere, you will NEVER catch me eating raw mushrooms. Danger bay, all you purist raw foodists.

Raw shiitake mushrooms can give a wallop to your immune system. Check out this NY Times article about woman who ate raw shiitakes and broke out in a full body rash! Now, I wasn’t totally convinced of this so when I was in California for the Longevity Conference, I asked chef Frank Giglio and he said no to raw mushrooms. So if you are into these yummers, a quick sauté or blanching will do the trick.

On to the Best Shiitake Mushroom Tapenade There Ever Was

Best Shiitake Mushroom Tapenade There Ever Was

1 Tbs + 2 Tbs Olive Oil
2 Tbs tamari
3 cups organic shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and wiped clean with a damp towel
2 Tbs capers
1-2 cloves of garlic
sea salt to taste

• In a warm skillet, heat 1Tbs olive oil.
• Add tamari and mushrooms and cook just until the tops of the mushrooms darken a little and the mushroom flesh softens. You don’t need to cook these to death!
• Remove mushrooms from heat and transfer to food processor.
• Process together with remaining 2 Tbs of olive oil, capers, garlic and sea salt.
• Enjoy!