Olive Tapenade

Easy, healthy and delicious Mediterranean green olive tapenade makes an amazing bread spread and vegetable dip. 10-minute vegan recipe.

Olive tapenade is always a good idea if you like bread spreads. It’s so easy and delicious I keep making it over and over again. If you want to use up your olives, the best way to do it is to make tapenade. I was lucky enough to buy three big jars of Greek green olives, to bring my tapenade recipe to perfection.

Tapenade is a traditional Mediterranean bread spread. It is served as an appetizer, as an accompaniment to soups or or as a dip with chopped fresh vegetables. Similar to Russian mushroom caviar, you spread it on a toast or crackers. Tapenade can be made from both black and green olives. The better quality olives you use, the better tapenade will taste. Other ingredients include capers, anchovies and garlic, crushed in a mortar and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice and mustard. It’s a very easy recipe and you can easily adjust it to your taste. Tapenade comes from Provence, where it is made in different ways but is always delicious.  I found that the best result is when I use high quality olives and olive oil, fresh anchovies and add a bit of parsley in the end. You can experiment with amounts or add other herbs or even a bit of rum or other liquor for an extra flavor.

Tapenade is vegan (if you omit anchovies) and very healthy, as it contains one of the world’s healthiest ingredient – extra virgin olive oil. Its quality makes a difference when it comes to health benefits, so opt for a good extra virgin olive oil extracted from pressing whole olives (so called “first cold press”). It has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, as well as cardio- and blood pressure-protective effects, cancer prevention, digestive and cognitive benefits. Olives themselves have similar health benefits.

How to Eat Tapenade

Making tapenade is a healthy and interesting way to incorporate more olives and olive oil in your diet. I urge you to try it if you haven’t done it yet. This umami-packed olive spread goes so well with fresh crusty ciabatta bread or baguette! Serve it as an appetizer or a nice addition to your cheese plate with young white wine, spread it over a sandwich, place a slice of cheese on top to enjoy it for lunch or use it as a dip for fresh veggies that will make an amazing snack. Whatever way you choose, you will love tapenade, especially if you are a big olives fan like myself. Check the recipe below for details:

What is your favorite dish with olives? Leave a comment below!
What about Cream Cheese Stuffed Olives as an appetizer?

Cheers,
Elena

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