OLIVE DIRT

MAKES A GENEROUS 1 CUP

½ cup halved pitted black olives

½ cup halved pitted Niçoise olives

¼ cup hazelnuts

1 tablespoon granulated onion

½ teaspoon mustard powder

Using a dehydrator set to high (about 155ºF), dry the black and Niçoise olives in a single layer on a rack until crisp, about 5 hours or overnight. You can also dehydrate the olives on a wire rack in a 160ºF to 170ºF oven with convection for about 5 hours.

Dry roast the hazelnuts on a baking sheet in a 375ºF oven until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice. While still warm, rub off the skins in a paper towel.

Using a small food processor, spice grinder, or mortar and pestle, crush the dried olives to a fine meal the texture of dirt, shaking the processor as needed for even crushing. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

Add the roasted nuts to the processor, crush to a fine meal (the same texture as the olives), then transfer to the bowl. Mix in the granulated onion and mustard powder. Now you have tasty dirt. It will keep for a few months in a sealed container in the fridge.