Tapenade
Black olives, capers and anchovies pounded with olive oil. A fifteen-minute aperitif recipe, and the Provençal origin of its name.
The name tapenade comes from the Provençal tapeno, the caper. So it is the capers, not the olives, that gave their name to this spread eaten with an aperitif all over Provence.
Traditionally it is made in a mortar, pounding the ingredients rather than blending them finely: the texture should stay a little rustic. Every family has its own version, with or without thyme, with a dash of cognac, or with a little tuna added.
For the olives, you can choose black olives from Nyons, which have a protected designation of origin, or any good-quality black olive, ripe and fleshy. Green olives make a sharper, more bitter tapenade that is just as Provençal.
Recipe · Tapenade
- Serves
- 6 people (one bowl)
- Preparation
- 15 min
Ingredients
- 200 g pitted black olives
- 2 tablespoons drained capers
- 4 anchovy fillets in oil
- 1 small garlic clove
- a few leaves of thyme or savory
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 6 to 8 tablespoons olive oil
- freshly ground pepper
Step by step
- Rinse the anchovy fillets quickly and pat them dry. Peel the garlic clove and remove its green shoot.
- In a mortar, or in a food processor using short pulses, work the olives, capers, anchovies, garlic and thyme into a coarse paste.
- Add the olive oil a little at a time, stirring, until the paste is soft but not runny.
- Season with the lemon juice and pepper. No need for salt: the anchovies and capers are enough.
- Leave to rest in the fridge for at least an hour, then serve on slices of toasted bread.
Sources
- Tapenade — Wikipédia
- Olives noires de Nyons (AOP) — INAO