Black Olive Tapenade

What is tapenade

This dip might not look too appealing, but it really is tasty. And if you wonder what exactly this tapenade is, since the name doesn't give much out, it's a dip of Provencal origin which actually means capers.

The main ingredients are olives (black olives being more common, but you can also use green ones) and capers, which are then either blended to a smooth consistency, or chopped finely.

For extra flavour, achovies, lemon juice and dijon mustard are added to the black olives and capers, and they really make a difference. If without them you get a nice enough dip, especially if you are black olive lover, with the lemon juice, anchovies and dijon, this appetizer becomes absolutely delicious.

Now, some people might no like the idea of eating uncooked anchovies, but they are safe to eat straight out of the tin. Anchovies are usually added to pasta dishes to enhance the flavour, and cooked on a hot pan they melt away, leaving their full flavour in.

But added to this tapenade, they bring a lovely sharp kick to it. You can, of course, leave them out if you think they add a "fishy" taste to it, but I would whole-heartedly recommend using them.

Ingredients & instructions

This really is ridiculously easy to make, it's just a matter of throwing all the ingredients in a blender and blending them to the desired consistency. I like to have it a little bit chunkier, rather than smooth, but there is no right or wrong here, it's all up to your taste buds. So, what we need:

• black olives - using pitted ones saves you time and effort, so I recommend going for those, but depending on which sort of olives you like, you might have to pit them yourself
• capers - I used one tablespoon, but you can add more if you like
• anchovies - 3 fillets should so, but you can add ore or less
• lemon juice - I used the juice from half of a lemon - again, use it to taste
• dijon mustard- about one teaspoon is more than enough, since it has quite a bit of sharpness to it

What to serve with tapenade

Being a savoury dish, this tapenade dish goes best with any type of bread, bruschetta, breadsticks, or plain crackers. Cheesy crackers would actually taste quite nice too. Or, why not, some garlic bread, the more flavours together, the better.

I would highly recommend this appetizer for any party or celebration, it's fancy enough to be served as finger food. And since the festive season is upon us, I would definitely have it added to the Christmas Dinner Menu and New Year's Eve Menu. It's quick, it's super easy, and so delicious too!