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When I visited A Bolota, a lovely restaurant perched on the sweeping plains of the eastern Alentejo, this dip, called patê de azeitonas verdes, was brought to our table. As I nattered away with friends, I dipped, spread, and nibbled, until I realized I alone had eaten all of it. Later, when I became friendly with the cook, Ilda Vinagre, I watched her make it and was flummoxed when she whipped up its silky base: milk “mayonnaise”—whole milk whirred into a smooth consistency with the addition of vegetable oil. I serve this as a dip with a platter of crudités, alongside crackers or bread, or, sometimes, as a topping for grilled fish.–David Leite
Atenção [Editor’s Note: That means “attention”)
Don’t make this in a food processor. The bowls of most processors are too large to allow the scant amount of ingredients to whip up to the right consistency. A small narrow blender or a mini chop or handheld blender works best.
Portuguese Green Olive Dip
Equipment
- A small mini chop or hand blender
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup whole milk, plus more if needed
- 6 oil-packed anchovy filets
- 1 small garlic clove
- Leaves and tender stems of 6 cilantro sprigs
- Pinch of freshly ground white pepper
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2/3 cup pitted green olives such as Manzanilla, rinsed quickly if particularly salty, roughly chopped
Instructions
- In a blender, pulse to combine the 1/3 cup milk, anchovies, garlic, 2/3 of the cilantro, and the pepper.
- With the motor running, pour the oil in what the Portuguese call a fio, or fine thread. Keep whirring until the oil is incorporated and the mixture thickens, 30 seconds to 1 1/2 minutes, depending on your equipment.
- Scrape the dip into a bowl and stir in the olives. Mince the remaining cilantro, sprinkle on top, and serve. If the dip thickens, you can always simply stir in a tablespoon or two of milk.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This dip sounds salty, briny & fabulous! Love those anchovies.
It is a great dip, Marla. It’s also incredibly easy to create!
I’m planning to make this for a dinner party on Friday (in two days), and I’m wondering if I can do step 1 in advance, say in the morning, or whether the whole thing needs to be made last-minute. I’m guessing I can do step 1 in advance, but a confirmation would be lovely. 🙂
Thank you! So excited about using one of your recipes finally!
Kristin, yes you can make the ahead of time. Just make sure to mix in the olives right before serving. Have a great party!
Thanks! It’s a game-changer–I’ve gone from Spanish as my theme to Iberian. 🙂
As it should be…!
Sounds amazing! I have to make an appetizer for a party in 2 weeks and the folks are on a low-carb diet. Could I use heavy cream instead of milk? This sounds so tasty I wouldn’t mind eating any mistakes that result!