Dining and Cooking
Appetizers and Dips

Olive Tapenade Italian Appetizer Recipe



Olive Tapenade is an elegant Italian appetizer recipe that is sure to wow your friends at family at your next dinner party! Join Eric from Simply Elegant Home Cooking as he demonstrates his unique take on this classic Italian dish! It is imperative to use the freshest and highest quality ingredients for this tapenade recipe! Most high end grocery stores will carry a wide array of Italian olives which is usually the best place to find them. Eric recommends using a combination of green and black olives, and be sure they are sourced from Italy. Also be sure that the rest of your ingredients such as the sun dried tomatoes and extra virgin olive oils are Italian so that your flavors all blend together nicely!

Ingredients:
-1 cup green Italian olives (Eric uses green Castelvetrano olives)
-1 cup black Italian olives (Eric uses black Cerignola olives)
-1/2 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
-6 Italian sun dried tomato halves
-1 clove garlic
-2 anchovy filets
-1/3 cup Italian extra virgin olive oil
-1/8 teaspoon black pepper
-1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
-20 leaves fresh basil
-1 Roma tomato
-1 small shallot
-1/4 lemon, juiced
-Italian bread or crackers for serving

Directions:
-Rinse and drain the olives. Remove the pits if not done so already. Rinse and drain the capers.
-Use a sharp knife to mince the olives and capers into small bits, but do not pulverize them.
-Mince the sundried tomatoes and add them to the olives and capers in a bowl.
-In a mortar and pestle, mash the anchovies and garlic glove into a paste, and add to the bowl of olives, capers, and sundried tomatoes.
-Add in the juice of the lemon, the Italian extra virgin olive oil, black pepper, and the red pepper flakes if using.
-Finely dice the Roma tomato and the shallot, and add to the bowl.
-Use a sharp knife to chiffonade the basil leaves and add to the bowl. Use a spoon to stir and mix everything together thoroughly. It is a good idea to let the tapenade sit out at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving as this will help the flavors blend.
-Serve the Italian olive tapenade with crackers, or toasted Italian bread and enjoy!

36 Comments

  5. Ronald Jose

    Eric – my friend. Fantastic video. Tell me something honestly. I am a get stuff done quick guy. How about I put the Olives, Capers, Sun dried Tomatoes, garlic and fish fillet that you mentioned in a grinder and mix it up? I know u said something about polarization but whats the definition of it? Does it really matter? I know Chef's are very particular about this kind of stuff but I am looking for a quick and easy recipe. By the way, whats the ratio of Olives: Capers: Sun Dried Tomatoes?

  7. Wata Shiwa

    the way you speak really reminds me of ina Garten and its so nostalgiac and just makes me really happy❤

  8. William Blake

    The tapenade comes from Provence in France, not from Italy. There's no tomatoes, no lemon, no shallot, no basil in tapenade. There's no such thing as Italian bread. Each region in Italy has its own bread.

    https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapenade : La tapenade è un piatto provenzale composto da purea di olive finemente tritate, capperi, acciughe sotto sale, aglio e olio d'oliva. Il suo nome deriva dalla parola occitana "tapenas" che significa "capperi". Si tratta di un cibo diffuso nel Midi della Francia, dove, in genere, è consumato come antipasto, spalmato sul pane. A volte è usato anche come farcitura di carni di volatili nelle portate principali.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapenade : Tapenade (French pronunciation: ​[tapəˈnad]; Occitan: tapenada [tapeˈnadɔ]) is a Provençal[1] name for a spread, condiment and culinary ingredient consisting of puréed or finely chopped olives, capers, and anchovies.[2] Its name comes from the Provençal word for capers, tapenas (pronounced [taˈpenɔs]). It is a popular food in the south of France, where it is generally eaten as an hors d'œuvre spread on bread, and sometimes used to stuff poultry for a main course.

  10. Cyndi Foore

    I would think the basil would be overpowering. I use thyme and no tomatoes or onion but I’m adding some shallots to see how it tastes wit them.
    Crostini is my favorite delivery system too.
    Yours does look delicious.

  20. LTTPUK

    I was on the edge of my seat waiting, waiting, waiting … Yes – and finally the lemon juice goes in!! This looks and sounds so yummy!!

  25. James W

    Great recipe. I've been making bruchetta lately or what I thought was bruchetta but I see most classic bruchetta recipes don't have olives, just tomatoes, basil, garlic, salt/pepper, olive oil/balsamic vinegar on sliced toasted italian bread. If I do half tomato and olives am I doing more of a tapenade than a bruchetta?

  27. Frenchy's by the French Touch

    Tapenade is from the south of france ( my neck of the woods 45 years ago) and we only use Nicoise or kalamata oilives if you cant find Nicoise olives. Its name comes from the Provençal word for capers, tapenas .Anybody can make videos about anything today. Get it right body!!!

  30. Shaz Mirshahi

    Thank you for this wonderful video I didn't have any anchovies so I used Persian Dill cucumber pickle instead and it came out beautiful

  31. Maychou Kane

    Super cool ! The Manuel bleeding thing can be find anyway in Africa for less than 2dollars ❤ love from Ghana 🇬🇭

  35. Boo Hastings מים

    Now THIS looks excellent! My Dad and i have lunch together once a week where we like to try cooking new things. This contains all of his favorite flavors and i know he hasn't had it before – slam dunk! I love that it's chunky style, too, it seems heartier and more satisfying. Absolutely beautiful! Thank you for sharing this 💖🙏🕊

Write A Comment