In this recipe, you’ll get my version of the perfect olive tapenade. Tapenade is originally French and is a purée, but I most often use this recipe for tapas. Every time we have guests who taste this, I’ve often been asked for the recipe. It’s not difficult to make and takes little time to prepare. Usually everything gets eaten up when the tapas is served, and having learned my lesson, I sometimes make extra and use the leftovers on homemade sourdough bread that I toast.
Ingredients
- About 20 Queen olives (large green olives), pitted
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp vermouth
- 1 tbsp chopped shallot
- 1 handful parsley
- A little dried thyme, oregano, basil. If you have (can be omitted): Tarragon, chives, sage.
- A little salt
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- A little ground pepper
- About 15 almonds
- 1 tsp capers
- Balsamic vinegar
Instructions
If you want to "take a shortcut", you can buy Ridderheims Queen olives, which contain most of the ingredients above. You'll then only need balsamic vinegar, almonds, capers, pepper, and parsley. Start by toasting the almonds in a hot frying pan. Then add all the ingredients to a blender, or use an immersion blender if you don't have a blender. Blend until smooth and fine. For serving, use a nice bowl and optionally garnish with a whole olive or two and a bit of fresh parsley. Remember to use any leftovers on toasted bread the next day!