I finally got to the point this week where I felt like we were settled enough in our new apartment that I could actually try my hand at some recipes. I picked up a few colorful towels at a store I discovered in Nice and discovered that I have fairly decent lighting for food photography coming into my windows. It certainly is a very different situation than I have at home where I have shelves of props and all of the ‘right’ tools to cook anything. This is something that I’m starting to miss. The trade-off is that I’m living a dream life on the riviera where the weather is perfect every single day and there’s always a new adventure. But back to the Classic Olive Tapenade…
I seriously cannot stop ranting about the markets here! All of the produce is perfect and fresh and smells like REAL food. You would not believe how amazing the strawberries smell at the market, and just yesterday I bit into one of the most delicious nectarines that I’ve had in a long time. There are also a few vendors selling olives, which is a huge export around these parts. Black, kalamata, green….you name it. They have them marinating in all sorts of herbs and spices and they are salty and delicious.
Olive tapenade is also rather popular here and the vendors who are selling olives also sell it jarred at their booths. I decided to pick up some black and green olives and try my hand at making it myself. It really is quite simple and only requires a few ingredients but is the perfect appetizer to serve at your next party. Olives, anchovies, capers and olive oil….minced finely and served up on toasted baguette slices. It doesn’t get any more French than that! While you may not have access to the same amazing olives that I do here in France, you can easily pick up a couple of different varieties at your local grocery store. I know that my grocer back home actually had an olive bar, which would be the perfect way to mix a couple of different varieties of olives.
Bon appétit!
- 1½ cups pitted, brine-cured olives (mix of black and green)
- 2 anchovy filets
- 3 tablespoons capers rinsed
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice from 2 lemons.
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 4-5 times until the ingredients are roughly chopped. (NOTE: If you do not have a food processor you can hand mince the olives, anchovy filets, capers and garlic then stir together with remaining ingredients.)
- Place tapenade into a serving dish and serve alongside of toasted bread. Refrigerate leftovers and store for up to one week.
Leave a Reply