Tapenades; Olive Po Boy Sandwich

Olives

by Cat (Photo, right: source unknown)

Includes: 1. Serving Ideas for Tapenade; 2. Simple Tapenade; 3. Olive & Caper Spread; 4. Olivada; 5. Olive “Po” boy Sandwich

See also: 1. Olive-Garlic Tapenade (for Greek Salad Pita Sandwich)

These wonderful spreads, also known as Tapenade and popular in the Provence region of France, are great on toasted baguette, or topping foccacia (see below for other serving suggestions)  I prefer to use brined olives, rather than canned olives.  The difference is that brined olives are lacto-fermented, and kept in a salt brine as a living food; canned olives are pickled in vinegar and canned, and do not provide the health benefit of lacto-bacteria.

As a spread, they lend wonderful flavor to sandwiches, as in the Olive “Po” Boy Sandwich, below. Or as a garnish for Provençal main dishes (see Beef  Provençal for an example).

Serving ideas for Tapenade

• Olive “Po” Boy Sandwich (see below)
• Layer on crostini with chevre (goat cheese)
• Spread on focaccia while still warm after baking
• Toss with pasta and tomato sauce
• Pizza topping
• Topping for twice-baked potatoes
• Spread on chicken breasts, then roast in oven.
• Topping for grilled fish

About Olives and Capers

If you aren’t familiar with capers, they are a berry that grows in the Mediterranean regions.  They are typically pickled and canned (that is the version used in this recipe). While they resemble tiny olives, they taste different.

Kalamata (aka ‘Greek’ olives) are probably the most common brined olive. They are a brownish black and are slightly sweet. Canned black olives are NOT a good substitute. Italian or Greek brined olive mixes (see photo, above) are also fairly common, and are my favorites to use in most recipes. Nicoise olives are tiny green olives essential for Salad Nicoise. Any of these can be used to make tapenade for a change of flavor, even tho the recipes call for Kalamata.

Simple Tapenade

This recipe is adapted from the 7-day juice fast book from the Wellness Education Center in Kalispell MT, for breaking the fast.

Ingredients & Equipment:

• ½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic
• food processor, or mortar and pestle, or Vita Mix.

Method:

1. Place all ingredients in food processor, and process until pureed.
2. If you don’t have a food processor or Vita Mix, use a mortar and pestle, but chop up the olives first.  A regular blender won’t work well because there is not enough liquid in the recipe.  However, you could try a hand-held (immersion blender).

Olive-Caper Spread

This recipe is adapted from Stop and Smell the Rosemary, by the Junior League of Houston.

Ingredients & Equipment:

• ½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil or oregano (optional)
• 1 Tbsp capers, drained
• 2 cloves garlic
• Optional: sundried tomatoes, about ¼ – ⅓ cup.  If packed in oil, lay them out on paper towel to  remove excess oil.  If dried, soak in water to soften.
• food processor, or mortar and pestle, or Vita Mix.

Method:

1. Place all ingredients in food processor, and process until pureed.
2. If you don’t have a food processor or Vita Mix, use a mortar and pestle, but chop up the olives first.  A regular blender won’t work well because there is not enough liquid in the recipe.  However, you could try a hand-held (immersion blender).

Olivada

This spread is a mix of tapenade and chopped olives.  See Serving Ideas, above.

The original recipe, from Stop and Smell the Rosemary, calls for California black olives and kalamatas (brined black Greek olives).  However, I prefer to use brined green olives instead of the California blacks which I think are too sweet.

Ingredients & Equipment:

• 1 ½ cup large pitted California black olives or brined green olives, divided
• 1 ½ cup pitted kalamatas, divided
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp crispy pine nuts (see box below)
• 1 – 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1. Process half of each type of olive in food processor (or using mortar and pestle), along with garlic, pine nuts and 1 Tbsp oil.  If mixture is too stiff, add more oil as needed.
2. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
3. Coarsely chop remaining olives; stir into processed olive mixture.
4. Cover and refrigerate up to 1 week.
5. Serve at room temperature.

Olive “Po” Boy Sandwich

1. Spread olivada or tapenade on both sides of a sliced baguette.
2. Layer on slices of baked ham, salami, a white cheese (like Swiss or Jack), and cheddar.
3. Garnish with thinly-sliced tomato and red leaf lettuce.

References:

1. Jeanette Cheney of the Wellness Education Center in Kalispell MT.
2. Stop and Smell the Rosemary, by the Junior League of Houston.