Black Olive Tapenade is traditionally a specialty from Provence, France and is generally served as an hors d’œuvre, on baguette croutons. This is my take on a simple but wonderfully tasty and versatile french classic. I have made my version of Zesty Black Olive Tapenade, vegan and vegetarian friendly and added a lemony touch which I love. At the base of the recipe you can find a link to some serving suggestions for the tapenade and a link to my other version of tapenade, Nutty Green Olive Tapenade.

Step 1:

Zesty Black Olive Tapenade

2 cups of kalamata olives, pitted

1 1/2 tblsp. of capers

1 medium clove of garlic

2 tblsp. of fresh basil

2 tblsp. of fresh parsley

1 teaspoon of fresh lemon thyme

1 teaspoon of fresh marjoram

1/2 cup of olive oil

1 tblsp. of lemon juice

Zest of half a lemon, finely grated

Pinch of ground black pepper

In a blender place all ingredients and blend until you reach the desired texture. This time I made mine quite smooth but to reach a more textured consistency, blitz your tapenade a little less. Store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to a week or so.