I had a tub of large, organic green olives that I wanted to use, so I plunked a few in a food processor along with the last of a summer basil plant and a few other ingredients. The result is somewhere between a chunky tapenade and a newfangled pesto, but it is easy and spectacularly flavorful. Spread it on toast, mix into pasta, or dollop on seared lambchops (as I did). Makes about 1 cup.

1 cup pitted green olives
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
3 garlic cloves, halved
3 tablespoons pine nuts
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Add first 5 ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and process until pureed but still chunky. Add olive oil in tablespoons until it binds the mixture sufficiently. Taste for seasoning — you probably won’t need much salt, but a grind of pepper is nice!

Wine Pairing: A concentrated Chianti Classico Riserva worked with the tapenade-topped lamb chops for supper, but I might go lighter (like a Chianti or Chianti Classico) if I were serving this on toast as a pre-dinner nibble. And actually, this would work with white wine just as well — think Italian or French!