by Henry Gould –  August 27th, 2019

Olives are very polarizing. People either love ’em or hate ’em. Generally the countries bordering the Mediterranean love ’em, and since we know from previous posts (HERE) that those countries have some of the healthiest diets on earth, it’s probably a good idea to squeeze them into your weekly routine.

Olive Tapenade is almost embarrassingly easy to make, and since the olives are salted it will keep for a long time in the fridge.

Spread it on bread, crackers, vegetables, chicken, fish, or cheese. Roast some chickpeas and then toss in some of the tapenade for a great side dish. Use it on a sandwich or as the basis of a salad dressing. GO WILD PEOPLE.

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Olive Tapenade

• 1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted
• 1 cup Castelvetrano olives, pitted
• 1 lemon
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 1 pinch fennel seeds
• 1 pinch chili flakes
• 1 pinch Greek oregano
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Black Pepper
• 1 Bay leaf

Put all the olives onto a board a chop very finely. Or, blend in a food processor.

Using a vegetable peeler, peel long strips (about 1cm wide) off the lemon. Reserve the inside juice for something else.

Put the chopped olives into a bowl, along with all the ingredients. Pour in enough olive oil so the tapenade is at a nice consistency to spread.

**You won’t want to eat the lemon zest strips or bay leaf, but they will continue to marinate with the tapenade and give a nice flavor.