Serves 6-8 as a first course
2 cups green olives, pitted
3 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 qt. chicken stock
1 cup whipping cream
6 tablespoon flour cooked with 3 tablespoon olive oil to make a roux
Black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
(No salt is necessary due to the olives)
4 shots Tabasco
1/3 cup dry sherry
Garnish:
Sliced pimento-stuffed green olives
Garlic-bread croutons
Soak the olives in cold water for 1 hour. Drain and coarsely chop the olives. Heat a frying pan and add the oil, onion and garlic, along with 2/3 of the olives. Sauté until the onions are transparent. Puree this mixture in a food processor along with 1 cup of the stock. Place this mixture in a 4-quart saucepan and add the remaining stock. Simmer for 20 minutes and add the cream. Whisk in the roux and simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add pepper to taste and the remaining chopped olives, Tabasco, and dry sherry. Heat to serving temperature and serve with the sliced olives and crouton garnish.