Tapenade Maison
The essential Provençal condiment — black olives, capers, and anchovies blended into something magnificent.
Personnes
8
Préparation
15 min
Cuisson
0 min
Difficulty
Easy
The word tapenade comes from tapèno — the Provençal word for capers. But the olive is the soul of it. Without good olives, tapenade is just a paste. With them, it is something that has been made in the kitchens of this region for centuries, spread on bread, served with a glass of something cold, and eaten in the shade.
Every household in Provence has a version. Some are smooth, some are rough. Some add a dash of cognac. Some use green olives instead of black. The best ones come from people who have been making the same recipe since before they can remember, adjusting nothing because nothing needs adjusting.
This version is unapologetically simple. It wants good black olives — from the Nyons AOP if you can find them, with their mild, almost nutty flavour, or Greek Kalamata as an excellent alternative. The anchovy is not optional. It disappears completely but leaves a depth behind that you will notice if you leave it out.
Ingrédients
- •200g good black olives, pitted (Nyons or Kalamata)
- •2 tbsp capers, rinsed
- •4 anchovy fillets
- •1 clove of garlic
- •Juice of half a lemon
- •4–5 tbsp good olive oil
- •Fresh thyme leaves
- •Black pepper
🐸 Marcel says:
Use good olives. The tapenade is only as good as its olives. Buy them from a market stall, not a tin.
Instructions
- 1
Place olives, capers, anchovies, and garlic in a food processor.
- 2
Pulse until roughly chopped — you want texture, not a smooth paste.
- 3
Add lemon juice and olive oil and blend briefly.
- 4
Season with pepper (it will not need salt — the anchovies and capers provide this).
- 5
Transfer to a jar. Drizzle with a little extra oil on top.
- 6
Refrigerate. It improves after a day. Serve on toast, with raw vegetables, or stirred through pasta.
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