Olive Tapenade (Kalamata)

Description

Olive Tapenade – with Kalamata Olives!

Kitchen Connaisseur’s Kalamata Olive Tapenade is prepared with a lovely combination of kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, olive oil, capers, onion, sun dried tomatoes, and garlic. Kalamata olives are large, dark and purple.  They grow twice the size of other olives.  They have a smooth meaty texture and a distinctive flavour.

This paste like spread is intented to be served as a flavourful appetizer.  It’s at it’s best spread on breads, crackers and cheese – especially goats cheese.  It can be used to flavour meats and fish.  It is also a nice topping for steamed fresh beans.

What is Olive Tapenade You May Ask…
Tapenade is an olive-based spread that is most common in Mediterranean cuisine. Olives are typically the main ingredient of tapenades – most commonly black or greek olives. Caper berries are another common addition.  They can be finely crushed, chopped, or blended into the sauce. Then olive oil is added and the ingredients are mashed together to create a thick paste. Like many types of food, Olive Tapenades vary from region to region, with the addition of other ingredients such as garlic, herbs, anchovies, lemon juice, or brandy.

Check out the example recipes below to get some useful ideas that we, at Kitchen Connaisseur, have have created and posted on our website!

Olive Facts…
Olives are highly benneficial to ones health.  The World’s Healthiest Foods website explains the health benefits of consuming olives and information about olives in general, including their history, curing processes, how to select the proper olives in a store, and finally tips for preparing them for cooking.