Tapenade

Have you ever just had appetizers for dinner? You know what I am talking about. Those evenings you are out with a group, maybe it started as a happy hour meet-up, and with the drinks you order some appetizers, some others order some and it becomes a shared meal. After sampling and maybe even ordering more, you just don’t feel like eating a full meal. Tonight was that night for me, except I was at home. I just wanted a few appetizers for dinner, especially a tapenade with some fresh from the bakery bread. Of course, tapenade does not a meal make, so I added a mini Caprese salad and some sliced dry salami and soppressata. Hey… I used what I had available and turned this appetizer dinner into a tasty little repast! Of course, the star of the meal was the tapenade – briny and bright and satisfying. This recipe is shrunk down so you won’t end up eating tapenade for a week, but is easily scaled up for when you want to feed a group. With this recipe you don’t have to wait for a party or happy hour meet-up to enjoy an olive tapenade appetizer. Sometimes you just have to indulge yourself (and include a special friend if you wish) and this recipe is one way to do that. So pop some pits and take some olives for a spin in your food processor. Your taste buds will thank you…

Save Print

Tapenade

Prep time: 15 mins

Total time: 15 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients

4 oz kalamata olives, pitted and drained
1½ oz castelvetrano olives, pitted and drained
1 tsp anchovy paste OR 1 anchovy fillet
1½ tsp capers, drained
2 basil leaves, cut into a chiffonade
1 medium garlic clove, minced
⅛ tsp red pepper flakes
¼ tsp lemon zest, minced
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
parsley, chopped finely as a garnish (optional)

Instructions

Chiffonade the basil leaves by rolling them lengthwise and then cutting into thin strips across the roll.
Mince the lemon zest.
Mince the garlic clove.
Pit the olives if not already pitted.
If using pitted olives, be sure to drain them well as they will retain a lot of juice, which will overwhelm the tapenade. It is best to use whole olives and pit them yourself. The extra effort will be worth it (and you will have a second use for your cherry pitter!)
Halve half of each type of olive.
This halving process will help the paste form while leaving larger chunks for a more rustic and (at least for me) palatable result.
Add all the ingredients except the olive oil into the food processor.
Pulse a few times to begin the breakdown and combination of ingredients.
Scrape the sides down and pulse a few more times until a very chunky paste forms.
Scrape down the sides and add the olive oil slowly as you continue to pulse the mixture.
Pulse until you have the desired consistency (anywhere from a fine paste to a more chunky one).
Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle fresh chopped parsley on top, if desired.

Chiffonade the basil leaves by rolling them lengthwise and then cutting into thin strips across the roll.

Mince the lemon zest.

Mince the garlic clove.

Pit the olives if not already pitted. If using pitted olives, be sure to drain them well as they will retain a lot of juice, which will overwhelm the tapenade. It is best to use whole olives and pit them yourself. The extra effort will be worth it (and you will have a second use for your cherry pitter!) Halve half of each type of olive. This halving process will help the paste form while leaving larger chunks for a more rustic and (at least for me) palatable result. Add all the ingredients except the olive oil into the food processor.

Pulse a few times to begin the breakdown and combination of ingredients. Scrape the sides down and pulse a few more times until a very chunky paste forms.

Scrape down the sides and add the olive oil slowly as you continue to pulse the mixture. Pulse until you have the desired consistency (anywhere from a fine paste to a more chunky one). Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle fresh chopped parsley on top, if desired.