Three Olive Tapenade

I found this recipe on fellow blogger Kristina Johnson’s site called formerchef.com Kristina has a fun and interesting blog and I encourage yall to check it out! I changed the recipe slightly and served it at a party this weekend, it was such a huge hit that guests were not only asking me for the recipe but also asking to take some home. This recipe is definitely a keeper!


Three Olive Tapenade

1 cup kalamata olives, pitted
1 cup large green olives, pitted
1 cup California olives, pitted
1 red bell pepper, roasted and cut into 1″ pieces (see instructions below)
5 cloves of garlic
4 to 5 Tbsp. parsley, loosely chopped
5 to 6 leaves fresh basil, loosely chopped
5 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp capers
5 Tbsp good quality olive oil I get mine at Grapevine Olive Oil Company

To roast the red pepper:
Wash pepper and dry and brush with olive oil. Using tongs place pepper on open flame on the stove top turning as the skin blackens once blackened on all sides immediately place in a bowl while hot and cover with plastic wrap to allow the pepper to sweat, after 15 to 20 minutes remove pepper and remove and discard the skins.
*Do not do this on an electric stove burner and do not leave the pepper unattended when it is on the stove top. If you do not have a gas stove you can do this under the broiler or on a grill*

Tools Needed to make the tapenade: A Food Processor or lots of patience and chopping skills

Place olives, garlic, roasted red pepper, garlic, and capers in the food processor and pulse 10 to 15 times then scrape down the sides. Next add the herbs, lemon juice, and olive oil Add the herbs, lemon juice and olive oil. Pulse another 5 to 10 times, stopping in the middle to scrape down the sides of the bowl. In the end, you want the pieces to be 1/8″ to 1/4” in size and you want to see all the colors of the olives and peppers. Do not over-process it or it will turn into a smooth gray/brown paste.

Serve with pita chips, crackers, or sliced bread. This tapenade is also excellent on a turkey melt, ham sandwich, or muffaletta. Store in the refrigerator.

Yield: 3.5 cups