Hey everyone! I wrote this newsletter in collaboration with Jillian Pfennig. She is a freelance writer, artist, and photographer who you can follow on Instagram @jillianpfennig.
Also, due to the holidays and the new year, Iâm going to take the next two weeks off from sending the newsletter. I hope everyone has a great holiday season! đ„
And forewarning here...Olive the puns will be intentional! đ
This briny yet fruity spread might be found on a platter near you this holiday season. Or if youâre in charge of the cooking, it should be!
But if youâre limiting it just to a dip, youâre missing out. Olive tapenade is a versatile flavor bomb that can elevate dishes. It can be your secret ingredient to add brightness and depth to sandwiches, vinaigrettes, braised veggies, and more.
And the best part, you donât need a recipe. With a few simple concepts in mind, you can let your imagination, and taste buds, guide you.
Okay, first let's address the 5-ton elephantâand by 5-ton elephant, we mean 5-gram oliveâin the room.
Olive tapenade.
How redundant! Itâs like calling coleslaw, âcabbage coleslawâ.
Actually, not. Tapenade originated from the Provençal region of France and was invented in the late 1800s. What is it? Classically, itâs a paste of olives, capers, anchovies/tuna, and olive oil.
But hereâs the kicker. Tapenade comes from the word âtapenoâ. Which actually means caper! So tapenades are not supposed to be about olives. Theyâre supposed to be about capers! đ€Ż
Do you feel like the cooking universe is unraveling before your very eyes right now? No? Okay, maybe itâs just an us thing.
While even back then olives were in this paste, they werenât the star. They played second fiddle. But olives have come to dominate modern tapenades. And in our opinion, itâs a great change on the classic.
The beauty of tapenade is that itâs easy to freestyle. The makeup is often something like the following:
But of course, that ratio isnât a rule! Itâs just a starting point.
There really isnât a right answer! Itâs all about the flavor you want. Plus, itâs fun to experiment with different types of olives.
âAlton Brown recommends using a mix of soft olives like Kalamata and harder ones like Cerignola. The contrast creates an appealing texture.
You can also choose based on flavor. Cookâs Illustrated recommends an olive mix of 3 parts bright, fruity olives (typically brined) to 1 part earthy ones (typically salt-cured).
And remember olives not only differ in flavor but also salt and oil levels. So taste them before you use them! Remember if the olives are super salty, you can rinse and soak them to remove as much of the brine as possible.
Still not sure? Try going to an olive bar. They serve olives marinated in gin and vermouth.đž Just kidding. Not that kind of bar. Lots of grocery stores have a bar where you can sample different types of olives so you can find your favorite.
Lastly, buying pitted olives will save you a ton of time and effort! Pitting olives is a pain. Just make sure theyâre high quality. Pitted olives are sometimes dried out.
Yes, olives are fruit! While theyâre salty and briny, theyâre also bright and fruity! You can enhance their natural brightness by adding less-sweet fruits like figs or sun-dried tomatoes.
How much do you use? We recommend starting with a 3-to-1 olive to fruit ratio.
If youâre using dried fruit, you may need to soak it in hot water first to make it easier to grind up.
Once youâve got your ingredients, the basic idea is to chop and/or grind it together until it forms a paste! Do you use a mortar and pestle? Food processor? Knife? They all work! But here are some things to know about each.
Mortar and Pestle: While itâs old school and definitely time-consuming, using a mortar and pestle is wonderful. It gives you more control over the final texture. Youâll get a true paste. Plus, crushing aromaticsâinstead of chopping themâreleases more of their flavor!
Food Processor: Chopping everything up in a processor gets you a good result without the arm workout! But there is a chance it turns more liquidy than you want. Here are a few tips to prevent that:
Knife: If all else fails, you can rough it! Simply chop everything with a knife. It will obviously be coarser. But tasty! You can even use the side of your knife to drag along the mix to crush it into a paste as well. Unsure? Watch Jamie Oliver do it!â
And donât forget this: Let the paste rest for at least a couple of hours. This allows the flavors to blend together beautifully!
Youâll most likely find tapenade served as a dip or a spread. But you can do better! Use tapenades in other recipes to enhance a dish:
I hope you enjoyed this collaboration piece. A big thanks to Jillian for helping me write it!
Luciano đšâđł
P.S. Catch you in 2022!
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