Tapenade: A Provençal dish consisting of puréed or finely chopped olives, capers, olive oil, and sometimes anchovies which is usually eaten with bread as an hors d’œuvre. Originally tapanade was only made with black olives, but now there is also tomato and eggplant tapenades.
Today’s recipe is Kalamata Olive Tapenade with earthy, robust Kalamata olives. Tapenade is simple, quick to make, delicious and addictive. Kalamata olives are the Mediterranean diet’s best-kept secret superstar. Not only are they bursting with flavor, but they also pack a powerful punch of health benefits.
These dark, almond-shaped olives are from the city of Kalamata, Italy which rests by the glistening shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It’s here that olives are cured in brine for several months, a process that removes their naturally bitter taste and gives them their irresistibly tangy, salty flavor. These olives are rich in healthy monounsaturated fats and antioxidants, which have been linked to improved heart health and reduced inflammation. They also provide generous doses of vitamins E and K, essential for maintaining healthy skin, bones, and blood clotting. The only down side is to limit your intake to moderate amounts due to the salt in olives. This can be remedied by rinsing your olives before using them.
Kalamata Olive Tapenade is perfect for an appetizer when served with crusty bread or crackers. It’s also great to add to a charcuterie board.
Kalamata Olive Tapenade
Use organic when available. Makes 1 cup and serves approximately 6
Kalamata Olive Tapenade
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 cup pitted kalamata olives
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tbsp capers
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Gather ingredients
- Place garlic cloves into a blender or food processor
- Pulse to mince
- Add olives, parsley, capers, lemon juice, and olive oil
- Blend until ingredients finely chopped.
- Season with salt and pepper
- Serve with crusty bread or add to a charcuterie board
This post was featured at:
Thanks for the visit. Get exclusive free printables & all the news straight to your mailbox!
Please see my Link Parties page for the parties where this post was shared.
This looks terrific, Carol. I’m a huge fan of kalamata olives and this one is definitely being saved and revived at the next appetizer opportunity!
Let me know how the group likes it.
Nope, not for me. I usually love all your recipes but, even though I live on the Mediterranean, I cannot acquire a taste for olives. On the other hand, my boys used to eat them like sweets.
Everyone has their taste preferences – no olives, no problem – Have a great week
…it’s new to me, but it looks good.
Looks delicious.
I love olives and that’s one of very few plant foods that I eat.
This looks and sounds amazing and a great idea for a vegetarian spread. I’ll definitely bookmark this recipe 🙂
This looks wonderful. I love kalamata olives–but I had no idea they are full of all those nutrients! Thanks for sharing this post at the Will Blog for Comments #29 linkup. Hope to see you next time, too.
My husband loves olives a lot. I buy a small container from the grocery store every week. I am sure he would love this tapenade.
So delicious this recipe is one of my features at this week’s SSPS! Thank you for sharing with us, have a great week ahead.
thank you for the feature Happy St Patrick’s Day!
Looks delicious and something new I will enjoy making. Thanks for the recipe Carol!