Just Bento

(Malaga Salad)
Sliced fresh orange (as much of the white pith removed as possible)
Pieces of cooled boiled potato
Spring onion slices
Crumbs of salt-cod (optional)
Green pitted olives, whole or in slices - usually manzanilla olives
Dressed with vinagrette

I made this yesterday after having somehow forgotten how good this tastes. To be honest, I spent half the time eating it feeling surprised that such basic ingredients can taste so good when combined like this. My husband became a big fan.

Tricky part is getting hold of some decent canned plum tomatoes - it might be worth paying a little extra for these. How many cans you'll need depends on the juice to tomato ratio. To get between 400 and 500gms (roughly 16 oz) of roughly drained plum tomatoes you may need two or even three 400gm/16 oz cans. (I used the excess tomato juice as a stock to make rice with - you could always freeze the juice for a similar use).

Ingredients:
About 450gms (16oz) of roughly drained canned plum tomatoes, cut these into pieces
1 small onion (I used a very large shallot), sliced
1 can of drained tuna, flaked
handful of sliced olives (traditionally black olives, but I had green ones and they work too)
1 cooled hard boiled egg, chopped
sea salt to taste (I suggest a teaspoon)
a few generous glugs of good olive oil

Stir all the ingredients except for the sliced egg together and keep refrigerated. Add the egg just before serving.

This salad is very wet and is fantastic mopped up with good quality crusty bread.

I have to admit that the idea of eating raw tomatoes from a can was so unappealing to me that I avoided even trying this Murcian dish for years. When I did grow up a bit, braved a taste and realised how nice it is, I assumed it was due to the cooks' skill and the awesome local Murcian produce. Here's the embarrassing part: I only swallowed down my deep rooted prejudice against uncooked tinned tomatoes yesterday at my husband's request and made it myself for the first time. I feel rather stupid for not having done so before... it's really good!

i love making my own mixes of olives and marinating them in olive oil and spices like mustard seeds. Also, stuff them with your fave cheeses or nuts.

Black olive hummus:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/goblinbox/3347538692

Also, on the subject of stuffing olives, I love to get large green garlic-stuffed olives and replace the garlic with bleu cheese. Delicious! (And very good in martinis.)

Tapenade with walnuts is one of my favorite ways to have olives.

Also olive bread - just whole pitted olives baked into a whole wheat type bread.

Also pissaladiere (kind of a pizza with sauteed onions and olives)

Focaccia with olives and whole cherry tomatoes

Greek style salad with olives and feta cheese

My favorite olives are the tanche olives from Nyons, France - small, black, oil cured, delicious. But I like almost any kind of olive, except for those awful pitted canned ones.

Olives are good baked into bread. Also in couscous salad with fetta, onion, pepper, lemon juice, and some spices. Apparently I was about 5 when I decided my favourite food was an olive wrapped in a bazil leaf. My favourite food has changed over the past 13 years, but it's still makes great bento fillers.