Last week, I showed you how to put together a quick cheese board with some great blogging friends. Today, I want to share the recipe for my no-fail olive tapenade we used as a goat cheese bruschetta topping. You can use this recipe as a dip, a sandwich spread, or even with pasta.
The word tapenade actually comes from the Provencal word for capers, tapenas. However, capers are not the star of the show in this dish; we will leave that to your selection of olives. Olive tapenade is popular in the south of France, but the spread shows up in Italian cuisine as well.
In addition, since we are wrapping up Mardi Gras this week, it should be known that this recipe would be wonderful on a classic New Orleans’ muffuletta sandwich. Muffulettas are usually made with an olive salad, but this version of tapenade would be delicious.
Recipe: Olive Tapenade
1 (15 oz) can black pitted olives
1/2 cup jarred green pitted olives (I used olives with pimentos, but that isn’t necessary)
1 TB capers
2 large garlic cloves
2 canned (in oil) anchovy fillets
Juice of half a lemon
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (pulled off stems)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients into a small chopper or food processor. Pulse until ingredients are diced, and all of the ingredients are well-blended. You will want to make sure you don’t over chop; you will want a rougher consistency.
That’s it!
Spread your tapenade where you choose and store the rest in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Enjoy!
Leave a Reply