Tapenade

     Welcome to the first ever Sunday Funday Group Event! This week we are posting about Holiday Nibbles. My contribution is olive tapenade, a French dish from the Provencal region. Invented in Marseille in southern France in the late 1800's it is an umami packed spread that is briny and fatty and delicious with just about any menu, or as a snack. It's great for quick appetizers and isn't limited to any one season or holiday. I love including it as often as I can. 

     During quarantine I was doing drop off cheese plates for some friends to enjoy during video call girls nights. The first couple were pretty basic, but then I started to get creative and I wanted to include olives. But both my friends said they didn't really like olives!! I was shocked! I thought everyone loved olives. So I went with this tapenade recipe. It's great way to introduce olive to people who are hesitant or think they don't like olives because you can temper how strong it is. You can also mix it up and use whatever you have on hand or have access to. 

     For myself I prefer all Kalamata olives in the mixture, but since I was trying to cater to friends who were hesitant I replaced half the Kalamata with mild Castelvetrano olives. Ripe green olives are good too, just make sure you have six ounces of olives and proceed as directed. It's also a great way to use up any leftover olives you might have from a party or cheese board and turn them in to something new and delicious. 

     If you are making for yourself you can make just a small batch, or you can double or triple easily to make enough for a crowd pleasing spread with a more mature flavor profile making this a great make ahead nibble for the upcoming holidays. Looking for other great recipes for the holidays? Check out the other great recipes below. 

• Barbecue Smokehouse Almonds by Palatable Pastime
• Cheddar Horseradish Dip by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Chunky Peanut Butter Dip by Sneha's Recipe
• Confit de Gesiers by Food Lust People Love
• Fontina Salami Bites by Making Miracles
• Olive Tapenade by Pandemonium Noshery
• Spiced Cheese Wafers by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Tomato Bread by Our Good Life

Olive Tapenade Spread
2 (6 oz.) bottles Kalamata olives, drained
4 cloves garlic
1 (3 oz.) bottle capers, drained
1/2 bunch fresh parsley
1/4 c. olive oil
1 lemon, juiced

Place the garlic cloves in a food processor and run for a second to chop it slightly. It won't chop much in that quantity but it will break it up some. Scrape the sides and add the olives, capers, parsley, lemon juice, and olive oil. Process until combined and the olives are chopped fairly small. 

Serve with toasts or crackers.