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Green Olive Tapenade

Another quick-to-assemble mixture of bold, pungent flavors that enhances grilled fish, toasted ciabatta, or warm pasta tossed with thin strips of salami. For a more herbaceous taste, add a handful of chopped fresh basil or parsley. You might also blend in a few lightly toasted almonds for a more pesto-like consistency.

Cooks' Note

If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, simply place the fennel seeds on the cutting board, moisten with a few drops of olive oil, and coarsely chop with a chef’s knife.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 2 cups

Ingredients

2 cups pitted cracked green olives
2 tablespoons capers
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted (see below) and crushed in a mortar
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place the olives, capers, fennel seeds, zest, juice, red pepper, and vinegar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until combined. With the machine running, slowly incorporate both the olive oils, until a smooth paste is formed. Taste, and adjust seasonings. Stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator, tapenade will last up to 2 weeks.

  2. Toasting Seeds and Spices

    Step 2

    To toast fennel seeds, any herb in seed form, or seeds such as pumpkin seeds, heat them in a small, dry skillet over medium heat until they become fragrant and darken slightly.

From Crescent City Cooking by Susan Spicer Copyright (c) 2007 by Susan Spicer Published by Knopf. Susan Spicer was born in Key West, Florida, and lived in Holland until the age of seven, when her family moved to New Orleans. She has lived there ever since, and is the owner of two restaurants, Bayona and Herbsaint. This is her first cookbook. Paula Disbrowe was the former Cowgirl Chef at Hart & Hind Fitness Ranch in Rio Frio, Texas. Prior to that, she spent ten years working as a food and travel writer. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Food & Wine, and Saveur, among other major publications.
TagsSauceOliveDinnerLunchGluten FreeDairy FreeVeganVegetarianMake AheadFood ProcessorCookbooks