Cherry Tomatoes Stuffed With Spanish Olive Tapenade

A great little appetizer adapted from Gourmet magazine.

1/2 cup Spanish olives with pimento
1 1/2 teaspoons drained capers
1 teaspoon brandy (preferably a Spanish brandy such as Solera Gran Reserva)
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
32 small cherry tomatoes
chopped fresh parsley (to garnish)

Make the tapenade:

In a food processor, pulse the olives until chopped fine. Add the remaining tapenade ingredients and pulse until olives are minced.

With a sharp knife, slice the stem end (1/4-inch down) and the bottom (1/8-inch up) from each tomato and discard.

Using a 1/4 teaspoon, remove the juice and seeds from each tomato half, leaving the outside shell intact.

Spoon a generous 1/4 teaspoon of the tapenade into each shell and garnish with the parsley.

Comments:
- Very tasty little appetizers that everyone enjoyed. I liked the contrast of the cool tomato with the saltiness of the olives. I agree that they are somewhat time-consuming and a little bit difficult to prepare.

By Sharon123. From: Food.com