Tapenade-Stuffed Cucumbers

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to Lu Stanton of Tulsa, Oklahoma for this grandaddy of all
groaners:

A man walks into a bar with a slab of asphalt under his arm and says,
"A beer please, and one for the road."

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            TODAY'S RECIPE
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The Tour de France (that's French for "big bicycle race) is currently
under way and American Lance Armstrong took second place on
Saturday in the 13th stage of the race. His decisive victory in the first
mountainous portion of the race has almost assured his winning this
"world championship of cycling" an unprecedented sixth time. All
along the course of the race people line up to cheer for their favorite
team, and many cycling fans bring along a picnic lunch. Here is the
menu for our picnic while we cheer Lance on to victory:

Monday's Starter
Tapenade-Stuffed Cucumbers

Tuesday's Soup or Salad
French Potato Salad

Wednesday's Side Dish
Cold Braised Leeks

Thursday's Entree
Blue Cheese and Tomato Sandwiches

Friday's Dessert
Peach Claffoutis

This traditional olive mixture can also be used to stuff small
tomatoes or served as a topping for thin slices of French bread.

Tapenade-Stuffed Cucumbers

For the tapenade:
1-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
1-2 anchovy fillets (oil-packed) finely chopped
3/4 cup (180 ml) pitted kalamata olives, finely chopped
2 Tbs (30 ml) capers, finely chopped
3 Tbs (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbs (30 ml) lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2-3 medium cucumbers

Combine all ingredients for the tapenade and set aside. An
alternative to chopping all ingredients individually is to combine the
ingredients in an electric food processor, pulsing several times to
make a coarse spreadable paste. Partially peel the cucumbers and cut
into 1-inch (3 cm) lengths. Using the tip of a small spoon, scoop out
a hollow in the cucumber slices to form shallow cups. Fill with the
tapenade mixture and chill until ready to serve. Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Mon Jul 19 03:13:05 2004