Home Made Tapenade

 

I like tapenade, that pungent olive paste but it's expensive to buy so decided to make some at home..It was surprisingly easy to do and it is also a very flexible recipe. You can taste as you go and adjust the amount of anchovies, capers, garlic and lemon juice until it's just right.

My family is not particularly fond of anchovies . The two anchovies I  used (which is a bare minimum) do add to the flavour and are not overpowering. If they protest the anchovies can even be left out entirely next time. I did add some basil, as I thought it would taste better than parsley. The final result was not quite as intensely flavoured as some tapenades I have bought but it was more than good enough to eat.

Once made it can be covered and stored in the fridge for a week. I may also try freezing some to use later on in the year. But if not serving on the day I'd add the anchovies just before serving.

Sliced pitted olives can be rather bland in taste so I used a well flavoured  olive oil ( from Rockhaven Estate) which our friends Gill and Dave gave us for Christmas.

Ingredients:

2 cups of  drained and rinsed pitted and sliced black olives
The juice of 1/2-1 lemon
2-3 tablespoons of capers ( drained)
2 anchovy fillets ( rinsed)
2-4 tablespoons of olive oil ( I used Rock Haven Estate)
1 garlic clove crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Optional (6 sliced basil leaves or a small  handful of fresh parsley)

Method

I simply whizzed all of these together in my food processor to make a rough paste . I like to leave some texture but for a smoother texture simply whizz for longer.

Some recipes have parsley or basil addded . If I was not using all of this tapenade straight away I would leave any fresh herbs out until just before serving. You can simply put the tapenade back in the food processor, add some chopped fresh basil or pasrley and rewhizz.
A garnish of finely chopped fresh herbs when serving also looks good.