Olive Tapenade - Easy recipe and 10 ways to use it!

19th August 2008

Olive Tapenade - Easy recipe and 10 ways to use it!

posted in Recipes, Food, How-To |

So, I’m really really bad at doing follow-up posts, post series, etc.

Case in point: This hummus post from APRIL, in which I said I’d also be posting my tapenade recipe and how to make pita chips. I haven’t forgotten about those other posts, but the passage of time has also sort of… gone really fast.

So, Tapenade, huh?

hummus, pitas, and olive tapenade

This is a great spread to make for crusty breads or pita chips, and though it’s typically made with anchovies, mine doesn’t have anything like that.

Here’s how I do mine:

Haul out the food processor.
Chuck in a ton of olives… If you don’t want it to be super-salty, make sure to use more black olives than green. Kalamata olives are always nice (and really the best for this), though I didn’t have any. Pulse.
Throw in a spoon of minced garlic. Don’t add too much at once… you can always taste and add more, but you can’t take it out once it’s there! Pulse.
Throw in a whole bunch of capers. Pulse.
Turn the processor on while you drizzle in extra virgin olive oil. You can add some lemon juice too, if you’d like.
Taste, and decide if it needs anything else.
Serve and enjoy!

olive tapenade

If “serve” is too vague, try some of these ideas:

Cut horizontal slits in chicken breasts and fill with a dab of olive tapenade before baking.
Serve broiled fish with a dollop of tapenade on top.
Use olive tapenade to stuff mushrooms as delicious crowd pleasers.
Find some delicious crostini (little pieces of crusty toasted bread) and spread with cream cheese, feta, or goat cheese, then top with tapenade.
Make summer appetizers by layering a bagel chip, a slice of mozzarella cheese, a slice of a Roma tomato, and tapenade.
Toss mixed greens with olive tapenade as a salad dressing.
Try a little bit in your morning omelet.
Add tapenade to angel hair pasta, chopped tomatoes, and fresh basil. Toss.
Serve with pita chips and yummus hummus, of course.
Make a delicious sandwich on focaccia with salami, pepperoni, cream cheese, fresh tomatoes, and olive tapenade.

olive tapenade

If you liked this article, please share it on del.icio.us, StumbleUpon or Digg. I’d really appreciate it.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 at 2:27 pm and is filed under Recipes, Food, How-To. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

1 On August 20th, 2008, robin said:

Wow - I love olive tapenade! You make it look easy!
I spent a few summers in Turkey where the olives are $2 a pound, I sure miss it now living back in the USA…

posted on August 20th, 2008 at 1:36 pm

2 On August 20th, 2008, Jamie said:

Since we have been talking a little on the forums, I figured I’d stop by.

Everything on your blog looks so yummy! I’m adding you to my reader and linking if you. Hope you don’t mind

posted on August 20th, 2008 at 3:27 pm

3 On August 24th, 2008, marie said:

ooh
i’m salivating now ;o)
i’ll have to try that this week ^-^

posted on August 24th, 2008 at 4:28 pm

4 On August 24th, 2008, Jewelryrockstar said:

Tapenade looks fabu! I’m gonna try this recipe it looks like it will be a breeze with my magic bullet.

posted on August 24th, 2008 at 6:20 pm

5 On August 24th, 2008, PaniniKathy said:

I’ve been meaning to incorporate tapenade into some sandwiches - thanks so much for the recipe! And the ideas for how to use it - the angel hair pasta idea sounds especially good.

posted on August 24th, 2008 at 10:59 pm

6 On August 25th, 2008, Hillary said:

I am SO grateful for this recipe and post. You have no idea how much I’ve been wanting to make an olive tapenade. I tried one at a restaurant once and it was amazing. I just needed some motivation and a recipe!

posted on August 25th, 2008 at 1:19 pm

7 On August 31st, 2008, fornetti said:

I do not believe this

posted on August 31st, 2008 at 2:42 am

8 On September 6th, 2008, Nicole RJ said:

That sounds delish! I’ve yet to make tapenade at home (really, because we don’t eat it often) but this recipe is being stored away for our next party!

posted on September 6th, 2008 at 7:40 am