Tapenade

1 cup of pitted black olives (The better the olives, the better this will taste.)
2 tablespoons of pickled capers, drained
1 tablespoons of seed mustard
4 cloves of crushed garlic
6 anchovy fillets in oil
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh herbs, thyme is best but you can use say sage, parsley or marjoram
2 tablespoons of Brandy or dry sherry
freshly ground black pepper
juice of a half of lemon
4 tablespoons of olive oil

Blend the ingredients in a kitchen processor, but not too much; texture is good. You can also just chop all the solid ingredients up and then add it to the liquid in a bowl. (I like it better chopped up, or at the most, partially blended.)

You can use a little English mustard to warm things up. You can use red wine vinegar instead of the lemon juice. A touch of balsamic vinegar will change the flavor nicely, too. A teaspoon of horseradish will add just another layer of complexity to the flavor. (I love horseradish, but not in this.)

Serving: Just spread it onto some French bread sliced into rounds or spread some lightly toasted ciabacca bread with a soft goat cheese. Then top with slices of ripe tomato and maybe a fresh basil leaf. Try a sandwich made with ripe tomatoes and tapenade between slices of a nice crusty bread. Use it as a pasta sauce. (You may want to add a bit of olive oil for this.)