Mixed Olive Tapenade

Quick Tapenade From Our Marinated Olives (or any and all olives, capers, peppers, anchovies, etc. you have hanging out in the door of your fridge!)

This is an easy way to turn a snack into a condiment! Or combine the remains of a bunch of random jars into something delicious! Spoon your tapenade over roast vegetables and meats, spread it on your sandwich, or serve it on your next veggie or cheese board. Use it as a pizza topping, as a loose sauce for pasta or jazz up your eggs! This recipe is very loose and depends more on what's left after you’ve already been snacking. Not all of us can bite into a Calabrian chili without sweating a little, so this will help you use up every last piece in the mix, and everything that's left in the jar! 

In addition to the base of olives (we suggest using our Marinated Olives as a base, but you can use whatever olives you have on hand) this is a great place to use some anchovies, capers, jars of roasted or pickled peppers, preserved lemons (fantastic in this application!). Throw in any fresh herbs or scallions you have hanging around that need to get used up (dried herbs too). Get creative here! 

Ingredients:

Chef Collective Marinated Olives (or combination of random fridge leftovers)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Using a colander or a slotted spoon, strain olive mix from oil or any brine. Remove pits** from all olives (see note below.) For a smoother tapenade that you can spread more like a paste, you can whizz all your ingredients together with a little bit of olive oil in a food processor until it reaches your desired consistency. If you want a chunkier tapenade, which would be great for pizza/pasta, dice all ingredients by hand and fold together in a bowl. Use early and often! For longer storage, top off your container of tapenade with olive oil until covered. 

** Pitting the olives seems like more challenging work than it is. The best way to do it is to take the flat side of a large chef knife and press down firmly until you feel the olive crack. Be sure to have a stable work surface. If you need to, wrap a kitchen towel around the blade of the knife so you don’t have any accidents and cut yourself. Alternatively, use a canned food tin, just make sure to have a barrier such as a kitchen towel or plastic wrap laid over the top of the olives.