Appetizers · By James
Gerd's Tapenade (Kalamata Olive)
Gerd, our dear neighbor, was not the daily cook in the family (Elfriede was), but a few notable recipes from him have become standards in our family. His tapenade was one of the first recipes we inherited, although Elfriede's holiday marzipan-stollen was the first. Gerd and Elfriede both possessed amazing palates, with a fine-tuned discrimination that they readily shared. They loved talking about the finer nuances of recipes, how they had adjusted this or that proportion, or added a new seasoning. Gerd normally reserved his most detailed tasting commentary for the incredibly fine wines in their cellar, but with this tapenade he never tired of describing the importance of this or that ingredient and how it needed to be finessed. It is a great recipe of his own making, carefully refined over years, reliant not only on the right ingredients, but also on their careful processing. For example, the slow addition of olive oil to create a smooth emulsified flavor-base is a master-stroke, key to the proper consistency of the final tapenade. We have tasted many oily tapenades around the world, and while flavorful, they pale beside Gerd's smoothly integrated blend. For over 20 years people have come into our home hoping that Gerd's tapenade will be a part of the appetizers! Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1.5 litre jar of Tassos pitted Kalamata olives — drained and cut in half to check for residual pits (also, use paper towels after cutting them up to squeeze out as much moisture as possible — the brine is acidic and too much in the tapenade creates an imbalance)
- 50 g tin of anchovies (can use less than the full tin if you find it too strong — take out 2–3 fillets) — drain oil and get rid of as much oil as you can by squeezing in paper towels (otherwise it's too fishy) — then thin slice the anchovies to cut up fine bones
- 50+ ml capers (about ½ of a small 125 ml jar)
- 1 big bulb Russian Purple garlic, or other big headed local garlic — skin the cloves and cut in half (you need lots of garlic, so "big" means a bulb truly filling the palm of your hand)
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of 1 medium lemon
- 1½ tsp fresh ground pepper
Method
- 1
Put sliced anchovies, capers, chopped garlic, lemon juice, and pepper into food processor and process for about a minute, until everything is very finely chopped.
- 2
Then begin adding the olive oil until oil has been emulsified — you will have a smooth pasty mixture (scrape the insides of the food processor container a couple of times during this so everything gets mixed in).
- 3
Add ⅓ of the chopped Kalamatas to the pasty mixture and process for about 10 seconds. Add the second ⅓ and repeat. Add the last ⅓ and repeat. At this point, check for texture — most like it pureed very finely, so it's quite smooth, but some like it a bit more textured (bits of olive still noticeable).
A note from James
If Kalamata olives are mostly light brown in color (as opposed to being blacker in color) then they are not as ripe and less sweet — so then add 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar to augment the sweetness. I usually add the balsamic even if the Kalamatas are mostly ripe — the oaky sweetness is really nice! Drink/wine pairing: a red with lots of structure (a Sangiovese would be perfect).
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