Black Olive Tapenade

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Keep rolling your shopping cart past those sad, dusty jars of olive tapenade occupying the shelves of your local grocery store and pick up the ingredients to make your very own Black Olive Tapenade.

Every so often while on a solo grocery shopping excursion, an unfamiliar product catches my eye and inevitably winds up in my cart. In years past, jarred olive tapenade has been one of those products.

The jar was a bit dusty, but still far from reaching its expiration date. I love olives so I thought, "Why not give it a whirl?"

While it was tasty enough to not be completely disappointing, it lacked the freshness and boldness I expected it to have. The pulverized kalamata olives had simply been swimming in a pool of olive oil for too long to retain their own rich, smoky, salty flavor.

How to Make Black Olive Tapenade

I wanted to create an olive tapenade with Midwexican influences so that I could serve it with tacos or quesadillas. Thus, Black Olive Tapenade came to be.

I chose black olives because they are the blank canvas of the olive world, playing well with other flavors. With black olives as the base for this black olive spread, both fresh and pickled jalapenos, garlic, green onion, lime juice, Italian parsley, and a few carefully chosen spices come together to create something truly crave-worthy.

INGREDIENTS

1 DR WT 6-ounce can large ripe black pitted olives
1 clove garlic
2 green onions, chopped, including tops
½ bunch flat Italian parsley (tops only, not the stems)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
¼ cup sliced pickled jalapenos
½ fresh jalapeno, sliced, seeds removed
cumin
salt and pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Add the black olives, garlic cloves, green onions, parsley, lime juice, pickled jalapenos, fresh jalapeno, cumin, and 2 pinches of salt and black pepper to a food processor.

Pulse 5 times. Remove lid and scrape down the sides of the food processor.

Add 1 tablespoon of the extra virgin olive oil and pulse 2 more times.

Scrape down the sides of the food processor again.

Add another tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and pulse 2 more times.**

Taste and add more salt, if desired.

Put into a serving bowl and garnish with lime zest (optional).

Spread on crusty French bread, crackers, or pita chips, incorporate into salads, toss with pasta, or top tacos and quesadillas.

Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

When I purchased my first dusty jar of olive tapenade, I assumed that it was one of those items that would be too fussy to make at home. Admittedly this recipe is a tad fussy... but you could also take the first 4 ingredients (black olives, garlic, green onion, Italian parsley) plus olive oil and wind up with a simple 5-ingredient olive tapenade that's bold and fresh. But I had to be extra.

FAQ

What is a tapenade?

A tapenade is a delightful condiment whose main ingredient is pureed or finely chopped olives and capers. A touch of olive oil is included to give the tapenade a paste-like consistency. It can be flavored with a host of ingredients, including garlic, herbs, fresh citrus juice, and more. A food processor makes quick work and produces a tapenade with the perfect consistency.

What is tapenade used for?

Tapenade is usually served with bread as an appetizer. You can also add it to sandwich salads, like chicken or tuna salad, to kick up your sandwich game. Or you can just use it as a sandwich spread.