Croutons with Orange and Fennel Tapenade

The recipe calls these croutons, but I think they make more of mini-open-faced sandwiches. Have a few of them along with a bowl of soup or a salad to make it a dinner.

In a food processor, combine 1/4 cup pitted nicoise olives, one and a half teaspoons capers, one and a half teaspoons olive oil, 1/2 tsp. grated orange rind, 2 and 1/4 tsp. fresh squeezed orange juice, 1/2 tsp. fennel seeds, 1/2 tsp. water, and one peeled garlic clove. Process until smooth, then spoon out into a small bowl with a spatula and sprinkle with black pepper.

Nicoise olives, which hail from the Provence region of France, are small and purplish-black in color, with a distinct sour flavor. To pit them, slice around the pit lengthwise (as you would when seeding an avocado). Then, using your fingers, peel back at the slits and the pit should slide out fairly easily.

Set your tapenade in the fridge to keep it chilled, then slice 11 slices (1/4 inch thick each) of French baguette. To toast them, simply preheat the oven to broil. Place the slices on a baking sheet and broil a minute on each side until golden.

Remove from oven and spread 1 teaspoon of the tapenade on each slice. If you're serving this as an hors d'oeuvre, each "crouton" is 60 calories. Have 4 for a "sandwich" and that's 240.

Garnish with orange segments, for a pretty presentation.

Cost:
nicoise olives $2.10
capers $1.99
1 orange $0.86
baguette $1.29