There are a lot of things out there that call themselves Tapenade. A lot of them are existing under false pretenses. Why? Because the word “Tapenade” comes from “Tapenas,” the old Provençal word for capers, ergo, tasty though it may be, if it doesn’t contain capers, it can’t truly be called Tapenade.
Tapenade is easy to make and makes an excellent alternative to all those sodium, trans-fat and high-fructose corn syrup filled dips that are produced commercially. When you live in a Mediterranean climate where high quality olives and olive oil, other products essential to a good Tapenade, it’s sort of a given.
Although the current craze among “Foodies,” is to shun the standard canned black olive and instead go for the “olive bar,” olives such as the Kalamata, Niçoise or Toscanelle, these have usually been processed in such a way that much of the lactic acid is left in the olive, giving it a rather bitter and astringent flavor. In Provence, plain black olives similar to our basic canned olives are used in the making of Tapenade. This leads to a pleasant blend of flavors where no one element leaps out at you. So, go ahead, use just plain canned chopped black olives. The resulting Tapenade will be delicious and no one will know if you don’t tell. Hey, here’s an idea, garnish the dish with two or three olive bar Kalamata olives, a sprig of fresh dill weed and a slice of lemon. So ... what’s wrong with a teeny bit of subterfuge? Oh yes, unless you are a vegetarian or vegan, don’t be afraid of the anchovy. It’s not enough to make it taste like anchovy, it just gives the mixture depth and complexity.
Here is a good basic recipe for Tapanade. For a delectable and classically Mediterranean presentation of hors d’oeuvres, serve your Tapanade with thin slices of good, San Francisco sourdough baguette to spread it on and accompany it with a platter of Marinated Roasted Red Peppers, Roasted Garlic Cloves, Dolmas and an assortment of olives. O.K. so this would be a good place to use the olive bar olives, but not in the Tapanade its self.
And I think the 2010 Malvasia Bianca from Sunce Winery will go as well with this Tapanade as it will with the dolmas, Malvasia being a Mediterranean grape and those being Mediterranean dishes.
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