Kalamata Olive Tapenade

Cooking for a Crowd, Recipes, Small Plates & Snacks December 14, 2010

Photo: Leigh Loftus

There were some foods that I just didn’t like as a child but in recent years, have developed a taste for. Olives are one of those foods. I used to pick them off vegetable pizza and eat around them in sauces or stews but lately, I’ve begun to embrace the sharp, salty flavor of olives.Though I haven’t reached the point where I’ll nosh on them independently or crave them stuffed with blue cheese in vodka martinis I have begun to embrace olives baked in breads, simmered in marinara sauce or spread over a piece of crusty bread in a tapenade topped with creamy goat cheese.

Some tapenade recipes have lengthy ingredient lists that call for anchovies, various herbs and spices, vinegars and olive oils. This recipe is simple and straightforward and lets the olives speak for themselves.

Photo: Leigh Loftus

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Kalamata Olive Tapenade

Author: Maris Callahan

Recipe type: Cooking for a Crowd, Small Plates & Snacks

Prep time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 12-15

Ingredients

2 cups pitted kalamata olives
1 tablespoon drained capers
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)

Instructions

Combine olives, capers and garlic in processor and chop finely. As ingredients combine, add lemon juice and oil and process until blended. Transfer tapenade to bowl and stir in cilantro.
Season to taste with pepper. Serve tapenade with crackers or baguette slices. You can make this a day ahead of time and refrigerate, then bring to room temperature just before serving.

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easy appetizer easy entertaining easy recipe kalamata olive tapenade olive tapenade

Written by

Maris Callahan

Maris Callahan has been blogging about cooking, dining and entertaining since 2008. A public relations director by day, Maris is also a brand spokesperson, freelance writer and media relations expert with more than 10 years experience working with consumer brands. She lives in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood with her boyfriend Brad, chihuahua Henry and a very well-stocked pantry.