Black Olive Paste

Directions

1. 1
   To pit the olives, you can use a cherry/olive pitter, but I've found that the olives frequently slip through the holes instead of just the pits.
2. 2
   Another way to pit olives is to put them inside a folded kitchen towel and then bang on them with a mallet, cutting board, small frying pan, or whatever suits your fancy.
3. 3
   Sure the olives get bruised, but what do you think is going to happen in the food processor?.
4. 4
   Mixing raw garlic and olive oil provides an ideal breeding ground for the anaerobic bacteria which cause botulism.
5. 5
   If I'm going to keep the paste around for a number of days, which I usually do, I'll mince the garlic, add it to the oil and then heat both in the microwave.
6. 6
   I try not to cook the garlic too much in this manner- you just need to heat the oil and garlic up to 140 or 150 degrees for a while.
7. 7
   Mix all of the ingredients in food processor.