Snack

Pitta Bread Crisps with Olive Tapenade recipe

Name: Pitta Bread Crisps with Olive Tapenade
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 2 wholemeal pitta breads (or 4 mini ones); salt and black pepper; ½ tsp smoked paprika (optional); 290g jar of pitted green olives (about 145g drained); zest from ½ a small lemon; ½ a small clove of garlic (optional); black pepper; 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 290g jar of pitted black kalamata olives (around 145g drained); 4 sun-dried tomatoes in oil; ½ a small clove of garlic; black pepper; 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

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Savoury crisps made from wholemeal pitta bread. Flavour with salt and pepper or add smoked paprika. The tapenades take minutes to make in a food processor.

Prep10m
Cook10m
Total20m

starter vegan vegetarian

Is there an item of food you avoid keeping in the house because you know it won’t end well? For me, it’s crisps. Any self control I have vanishes when I’m around crisps.

Working from home this year has made me realise that the only snacks we keep in the house are cereal bars and nuts and I got bored of them back in March. I’ve recently been making pitta bread crisps and they’ve been a lifesaver of a snack. They’re easy to make, wonderfully savoury and (I think) relatively healthy. I use wholemeal pitta bread, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and occasionally smoked paprika. I don’t always make a tapenade to go with them but when I do it’s a treat.

The crisps in the photo look particularly dinky because they’re made from mini pitta breads. I usually use regular-sized pittas but Ocado aren’t currently stocking them and I like the mini ones anyway.

Notes

I make more tapenade than the pittas need as I end up using it in other dishes like salads or Jamie Oliver’s Salmon en Croûte.

Recipe

Pitta Bread Crisps with Olive Tapenade

Prep10m
Cook10m
Total20m

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

Pitta crisps

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 wholemeal pitta breads (or 4 mini ones)
salt and black pepper
½ tsp smoked paprika (optional)

Green olive tapenade

290g jar of pitted green olives (about 145g drained)
zest from ½ a small lemon
½ a small clove of garlic (optional)
black pepper
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Black olive tapenade

290g jar of pitted black kalamata olives (around 145g drained)
4 sun-dried tomatoes in oil
½ a small clove of garlic
black pepper
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

Pitta crisps: Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Line a large baking tray with tin foil and drizzle over 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
Run a knife along the perimeter of 2 regular-sized pitta breads (or 4 mini ones) to split them in half, then cut them into small triangles and place on the oiled baking tray in a single layer.
Season generously with salt, pepper and smoked paprika (if using) then drizzle over 1 tablespoon tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Use a spatula to move the pittas around on the tray so that they pick up as much oil and seasoning as possible. If the pittas look dry add a little more olive oil.
Bake for around 10 minutes but check frequently and rotate the baking tray halfway through cooking so that the pittas bake evenly. They change from almost cooked to burned in the blink of an eye so watch them carefully towards the end of their cooking time.
Tapenades: While the pittas are baking make the tapenades. Start with the green tapenade by adding 145g of drained, pitted green olives to a food processor along with the zest from ½ a small lemon, ½ a small garlic clove (optional), some black pepper and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Process until the olives resemble a rough paste then use a spatula to transfer to a small bowl.
Add 145g of drained, pitted black olives, 4 drained sun-dried tomatoes in oil, ½ a small garlic clove (optional), some black pepper and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil into the food processor. I don’t bother washing the food processor between making the tapenades. Blitz until the olives turn into a rough paste and transfer to another small bowl.
Leftover tapenade can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and the pitta crisps need to be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.