Olive, Sun-dried Tomato & Capers Tapenade

This healthy and versatile tapenade spread made with olives, capers, sun-dried tomatoes and lots of fragrant herbs adds a burst of savoury goodness to any dish. You can choose whether you prefer a chunky texture or a smooth paste. Sometimes I’m very lazy and just put it all in the food processor and blitz it all up – it still tastes good.

1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted
1 tbsp capers
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes
Handful fresh parsley
Handful fresh mint
Up to 1/2 cup garlic infused olive oil (if your gut can’t handle garlic in the recipe)

Put the pitted Kalamata olives into a food processor and process until finely minced (not into a paste). Remove the olive mixture and set aside.

Repeat the process with the sun-dried tomatoes.

Then repeat again with the capers and fresh herbs.

You can then either combine the ingredients in a bowl and mix them together by hand until well combined. Gradually add olive oil while mixing until it reaches your preferred consistency. This will give a much chunkier texture.

OR

Put all the chopped ingredients back into the food processor and blend together, drizzling in the olive oil gradually until you reach the desired tapenade consistency. This will give a smoother texture.

Taste the tapenade and season if you think it is necessary. I find that there is enough saltiness already. You may wish to add a bit of black pepper.

Serve with other your choice of pesto, lemony butter bean & artichoke heart dip and gluten-free focaccia bread.