The word tapenade comes from “tapeno,” the Provençal word for caper, which is a versatile topping on crostini (dried slices of baguette toasts) for appetizers, a topping on grilled salmon, a marinade for roast chicken, lamb, or beef. The Italians use it as a quick pasta sauce or pizza topping.
Use either black or green olives, oil-cured or brined. Oil-cured are easier to work with (if pitting the olives yourself), but brined can produce a great impact, too. Traditionally, tapenade is made with anchovies and capers.
The best anchovies are fresh white ones, but the ones from Colliore in the Languedox-Roussillon, or the Basque coastal regions are also top shelf. Barcelona has sweet and meaty anchovies, which are so prized they are never exported. If you can find salt-packed Italian anchovies in the States, you won’t be disappointed.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 cups olives, pitted, any kind will do, black or green, oil cured or brined, your choice, but we like Provencal black olives and castelvetro olives, from Emilia Romagna, which has a nice contrast of cured and soft versus hard, fresh and salty, finely chopped
- 2 medium cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped.
- 1 T. capers (preferably salt cured), rinsed in a colander, and then coarsely chopped
- 1 t. minced fresh thyme and/or savory, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- 1-2 boned fillets of anchovy, preferably fresh white anchovies, chopped
- Extra virgin olive oil as needed
- Red wine vinegar or lemon juice, to taste (about 1-2 tablespoons)
- 1-2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Finely chop together the olives, capers, garlic, herbs, and anchovy. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and pepper and mix together with 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice and olive oil.
You may need to add salt or more vinegar and/or lemon juice. The tapenade should have a balance of fruitiness from the olive, floral from the capers and herbs, and body from the garlic and anchovy. All tastes and scents should be present, with no one element dominating the rest.
I use vinegar in winter or when the tapenade is to be used on meats, but lemon juice is better in the summer or for fish. More black olives should be used for meats and more greens for fish. Mixing oil and brine cured can produce some good results. Experiment and develop your own versions.
