Why Make Tapenade at Home
There’s a unique satisfaction in whipping up your own green olive tapenade. Sure, you could grab a jar off the shelf, but it not only costs much less if you make it yourself, it’ll also taste a lot better. And it’s always a good thing to be able to control every ingredient that goes into your batch. Homemade means you’re in charge of quality, flavor, and texture.
It’s also easy. Really easy. It’s as simple as tossing a few ingredients in your food processor, then giving it time to develop flavors (at least an hour). And it’s perfect for a charcuterie board or just a quick snack.
Choosing Your Olives
Tapenade is only as good as the olives you use, and for a vibrant green olive tapenade, use Castelvetrano olives. Their buttery texture and mild, sweet flavor turn out an amazing tapenade with mild flavors. Sometimes green olives can be too salty or have a harsh bite, but Castelvetrano are much more mild and balanced.
You can always use another type, such as Manzanilla or Picholine. You can add a few ripe black olives to temper the flavor if it ends up too strong for your tastes. You can also try adjusting for saltiness by adding a bit more lemon juice or a pinch of sugar. Just go in with a light hand – too much will ruin it. Which can also be saved by adding more olives!
Ingredients
- pitted green olives, preferably Castelvetrano, Manzanilla or Picholine
- 5 anchovy fillets
- capers
- extra-virgin olive oil
- garlic
- fresh lemon juice
Step-by-Step Green Olive Tapenade Recipe
- Gather Your Ingredients: You’ll need two or so cups of pitted green olives, two tablespoons capers (rinsed), one minced garlic clove, one tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice, five anchovy fillets, and a little extra-virgin olive oil.
- Pulse: Place the garlic clove in a blender and pulse until it’s coarsely chopped. Add the olives, anchovy, and capers. Pulse again until it’s coarsely chopped.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add the olive oil and lemon juice and continue pulsing until it’s combined. Take care not to over-process, as you want to maintain some texture.
- Taste and Adjust: Give your tapenade a taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. If you like a bit more tang, go ahead and add an extra squeeze of lemon.
- Refrigerate to Marinate: Transfer the tapenade to a bowl, cover it, and allow it to chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
- Serve and Enjoy: Remove from the fridge about half an hour before you’re serving it as the flavor is best at room temperature. If you’re using it in a hot dish or recipe, you can skip this step.
Ways to Use Green Olive Tapenade
On a charcuterie board, the purpose of green olive tapenade is obvious: spread it on crostini or crackers along with some other goodies. Here are some other delicious uses for it:
- Over a hot chicken breast or thigh – it will add so much flavor and voilà! Dinner’s ready.
- Rub some under the skin of a chicken before you roast it.
- Stir some into pasta for another easy meal. Don’t forget the parmagiano-reggiano!
- Add a spoonful to hot soup or stew.
- If you’re making bread, mix some into the dough before baking.
- Spread it on sandwiches instead of mayo. Or mix it with a little mayo first to make it creamier.
- As a dip for veggies
- Use it to top hot, roasted veggies!
- Add it to a vinaigrette
- It is so good over fish.
- It’s a great way to jazz up pizza. Just add a spoonful to your slice and enjoy.
- Mix it with some crumbled feta cheese and toss it in a salad in place of a dressing.
- On a warm, crusty piece of bread. Highly recommended.
Crostini Combinations
- Tomato and Basil: Spread green olive tapenade on a toasted crostini, then add diced tomatoes (or quarterd cherry tomatoes) and some fresh basil.
- Fresh Mozzarella: Spread the tapenade onto crostini and top it with a slice of fresh mozzarella. Place it under the broiler until the cheese bubbles, then finish it with a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
- Roasted Red Pepper and Feta: Green olive tapenade with strips of roasted red peppers and crumbled feta cheese. Nothing else needs to be said…it’s delicious.
- Grilled Zucchini and Parmesan: Layer thinly sliced grilled zucchini over your tapenade-topped crostini, then shave over some fresh Parmesan cheese.
- Prosciutto: Add a layer of tapenade to your crostini, then top with a slice of prosciutto.
- Lemon-Garlic Shrimp: You won’t forget this one! Make some lemon-garlic shrimp and add it to crostini that’s been slathered in green olive tapenade.
- Whipped Goat Cheese and Honey: Spread a thin layer of whipped goat cheese over the tapenade, and drizzle with a touch of honey.
Green Olive Tapenade
A delightfully mild green olive tapenade that perfect for a charcuterie board!
Ingredients
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 1/4 cups pitted green olives
- 5 anchovy fillets
- 2 tbsp capers
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Place the garlic clove in a blender and pulse until it's coarsely chopped.
- Add the olives, anchovy, and capers. Pulse again until it's coarsely chopped.
- Add the olive oil and lemon juice. Continue pulsing until it's starting to smooth out but still has pieces intact.
- Place in the refrigerator for at least an hour to allow the flavors to meld.
- Serve at room temperature for best results.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving:Calories: 288Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 2270mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 4gSugar: 1gProtein: 3g
This information is only an estimate. Provided by Nutritionix.
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