Williams and Sonoma Meal #2

Before I get into this meal, I would like to add that I made Bourbon Chicken from All Recipes the night before (found in Amber's blog) and it was quite tasty. I took the food to my husband at work and forgot to take a picture, but we both really enjoyed it and I would recommend it. The only changes I made were to replace the soy sauce with chicken broth because I forgot I was out of soy sauce until I was half-way through making the dish. Still tasty, though!

Tonight I made a second dish from Williams and Sonoma. This meal was definitely made for me because I adore olives, but my brother and husband were not totally enamoured. My brother said it was too bitter and my husband said he didn't like kalamata olives, so I felt a little bad, but we did some doctoring that made it a pretty enjoyable meal for all of us. I figured it need something sweet to cut the bitterness a little, but my brother thought it needed more spice, so he added some Parmesan cheese to the top and some hot sauce. My husband took my suggestion on the sweetness and added some chopped tomato. It was really really good with the tomato.

If we make this again, I will use fewer olives, more parsley, and add chopped tomatoes. I would also be sure to serve lots of grated cheese on the side. Oh, and because I didn't have marjoram, I used fresh oregano instead. The tastes are similar, but oregano is a tad stronger, so I used a little less.

Spaghettini with Olive Pesto

from Williams and Sonoma

1/2 c olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 small garlic clove, minced

1/2 lb. black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped

1/2 lb. green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped

1 t minced fresh marjoram or 1/2 tsp. dried

2 T salt, plus more, to taste

1 lb. spaghettini or spaghetti

1/4 c minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. In a food processor, combine the 1/2 cup olive oil, the garlic, olives and marjoram and pulse to combine. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and then pulse once or twice more to form a coarse sauce. Transfer the olive pesto to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, add the 2 Tbs. salt and the pasta to the boiling water. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until al dente, according to the package instructions. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the pesto along with the parsley and toss to combine. Add as much of the reserved cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Serves 4.