I first had this delicious and unusual tapenade at my friend Dianne’s house. I was not sure of the exact ingredients–besides the olives–but all I knew was that I couldn’t stop eating it! Neither could Dianne’s other guests. I had to find out more about this recipe!
This quick and healthy tapenade can be prepared in five minutes and the great thing about it is that it only needs a handful of pantry ingredients. Creamy artichokes counterbalance perfectly the sharp and salty olives and a good amount of olive oil is essential to round out the flavor. Serve it on top of crostini or with toasted pita wedges and crudités on the side.
If you have left over tapenade (which will be doubtful, once you try it), you could also mix it up with warm pasta, some fresh Parmesan cheese and, of course, another good drizzle of olive oil for a quick pasta dinner!
Artichoke and Green Olive Tapenade
- 1 cup green, pitted olives, stuffed with pimiento
- 15-oz. can artichoke hearts (not marinated)
- 1 TBSP. capers
- 4 med. cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp. lemon
- ¼ tsp. sea salt
- ⅛ tsp. freshly ground pepper
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Place the olives, artichoke hearts and capers in a medium colander. Rinse well under cold running water and drain very well.
- Put about half of the olives in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a couple of times to a rough chop. Reserve a tablespoon of the mixture and set it aside. Add the rest of the ingredients and process to a coarse paste. This will make a chunky tapenade. Process a little longer, if a finer consistency is preferred. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Let it sit for half an hour, at room temperature.
- To serve, place in a small bowl, top with the reserved mixture and finish with a generous drizzle of your best finishing olive oil. Serve with toasted pita bread wedges, or pita crackers, sliced radishes and celery hearts.
Note: Cover and refrigerate the unused tapenade for up to a week. Bring to room temperature and stir well before serving.
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