The first time I had Olive Tapenade I was on a business trip in Palo Alto. I experienced other ‘firsts’ that trip – riding in a Mercedes Benz taxi, visiting Trader Joe’s, and a few other things I’d best not mention…
I liked the taxi ride, but the tapenade and Trader Joe’s did nothing for me. The tapenade was completely outside my frame of reference at the time (as were capers) – briny and puckerish (I know that’s not a word). Trader Joe’s was filled with processed food and held no allure for me either. My co-workers were confused – they thought they were introducing me to really cool things, but I was not impressed. I hope I wasn’t terribly rude. I didn’t like barbeque or blooming onions either, and my co-workers were crazy for those too.
But of course time passes and palates change. Now I’m happy to shop at Trader Joe’s whenever I get the chance. However, I wouldn’t buy Olive Tapenade there when I can make it myself with fresh parsley, anchovies, garlic, lemon juice… I love to spread Olive Tapenade on sourdough with a schmear of cream cheese, for a satisfying meal any time of the day. It also delivers a lovely punch in pasta sauces.
Olive tapenade
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup brined olives a variety is nice
- 2 (or 5!) anchovy filets
- 3 T capers
- 1 ½ T parsley coarsely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 T lemon juice
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- ¼ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Process to chop evenly – Add everything except the olive oil to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to chop.
- Add the olive oil – Drizzle in the olive oil and pulse a few more times until a chunky paste forms. Serve at room temperature.
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