Sundried Tomato Tapenade

June 4, 2002

One of the advantages of having grown up sons is reclaiming one's weekends.

When they were little we spent Saturday's standing round on the sideline watching our red-haired wonders whacking the hockey ball in the winter and batting and bowling on the cricket pitch in summer.

The hockey games were relatively short, though some times it would take a couple of hours to thaw out once the game was over.

I can recall 8am starts when there was ice on the water-based hockey turf.

Cricket was a much longer proposition. Their first games took about three hours (or a lot less depending on how soon the team got out or disposed of the opposition).

By the time they were midway through secondary school, the lads had reached their college's top teams. Hockey was a Friday night activity - even colder than the morning stuff. Cricket took up most of the day.

One of the rituals in First XI cricket is The Afternoon Tea. This was provided by the First XI mothers.

There is no point in making poncey miniature muffins, cucumber sandwiches or fancy gateaux for these afternoon teas. No matter if the other mothers "Oooooh" and "Aaaaaah" as you unveil your masterpiece. Boys like the savoury and the familiar. Robust sandwiches, hunks of pizza.

One of the retiring First XI mother's gave me a good piece of advice when the first of our sons joined the team.

"Make sausage rolls. You'll never have to take any home afterwards."

For about five years my cricket season Saturday ritual involved turning on the oven and pulling the package of commercial sausage rolls out of the freezer. By the time I had showered and dressed, the rolls had thawed enough to cut into individual servings and the oven was hot.

Out came the sausage roll basket, in went the paper napkin and then the freshly baked savouries. A ubiquitous bottle of tomato sauce (ketchup) and my contribution was ready.

Our boys' school cricket careers spanned about six years and I made some great friends in the cricket pavilion as we brewed tea, made cold drinks, served the afternoon sustenance, did the dishes and kept an eye on the game.

These days our reclaimed weekends often include a brunch at a local caf�©. One of my favourite weekend nibbles is a collection of breads and dips.

One of the most common offerings is a dish of olive oil with a little balsamic vinegar in the middle.

I really enjoy dukka, an Egyptian blend of nuts and spices. I have three varieties in my pantry at present. One is made from roasted chickpeas, coriander, cumin, black pepper, salt, mint and sesame seeds. Another comprises almonds, paprika, mixed spices, sesame seeds and salt. The third has mixed nuts, hazelnuts, sesame seed, salt, herbs and spices.

You can make your own, with either a chickpea or nut base. The ingredients are ground together until they form a coarse powder. A coffee grinder is good for this operation. Don't overgrind or you may end up with a paste, particularly if you're using nuts.

Dukka is served with bread and olive oil. Dip a chunk of oil in the bread and then in the dukka. Warm pita bread is good for this. Or a chewy ciabatta.

Another good bread accompaniment is zatar which is a mix of dried thyme, sesame seeds, salt and sumac. Sumac is a dark purplish red powder with a slightly tart flavour. I sometimes brush pita bread with olive oil, sprinkle it with zatar and then bake it in the oven for five minutes. For a bit more oomph you can sprinkle on some finely grated cheese - don't overdo it. Serve cut in wedges.

Hummus is another option. A quick way to make it is to take a can of chickpeas, drain and place in a food processor with two cloves of garlic, the juice of a lemon, 1 tablespoon olive oil, a tablespoon of tahini (sesame seed paste), some ground cumin, salt and a dash or chilli powder. Process until smooth, adjusting the seasoning and adding a little water to thin it down.

One of my personal favourites is

Sundried Tomato Tapenade

1 cup soft sundried tomatoes
1 cup mixed pitted olives
1/2 cup toasted pinenuts
handful of fresh basil
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil (or oil from the tomatoes)
juice of one lemon

Roughly chop the tomatoes, basil and olives and place in a food processor with the other ingredients. Pulse a few times until you have a thick paste. You may need to add a little water if it looks too dry. Serve with toasted slices of french bread