Black gold for bread

A diverse dish, an easy dish, a dish steeped in history that has been around for thousands of years: tapenade. This blend of chopped preserves and spices can be used any number of ways. This is one dish with no cook time, limited prep time and plenty of table time.

The briny, sweet and savoury mixture of a tapenade is one that is fully customizable and can truly become your own. Spices can be swapped, oil levels can be adjusted, flavoured oils can bring out an entirely different profile if desired. With this dish it really is all up to you to make it what you want.

Tapenade has roots as far back as ancient times, however more modernly it is accepted as a condiment used on toast in the south of France. Other uses of note include stuffing for poultry and a pasta sauce similar to pesto. While recipes do vary from region to region the main base of a tapenade is a mixture of black olives, capers, anchovies and olive oil.

20 black olives
2 cloves roasted garlic
2 heaping tbsp. capers
1 tbsp. rosemary
2 tbsp. thyme

The easiest way to prepare would be to add all ingredients together in a food processor and pulse until pulverized, however another easy way would be with a mortar and pestle and if no other options are available a cutting board and a chefs knife can be used. As mentioned above this requires no cooking and only as much time as it takes to get the ingredients to a paste like consistency. (typically about 5 minutes) As a note for the cook, while garlic is an optional ingredient if you do use it, roast it, or else it has a tendency to overpower the dish.

This weekend, when you are running around with chores, shopping or whatever else may keep you busy, think tapenade. When kitchen time is at a premium and you simply need to get something enjoyable for lunch, or a quick appetizer for the dinner party, this is one treat that will be a hit for the house, regardless of whose house it is.