Tapenade (tap-in-ODD), the olive spread from France, is a convenient recipe because it can be made a day or two ahead of your party or meal. Just keep it chilled in an airtight container and when you are ready, serve it with crusty bread slices or crackers, or use it as a sandwich spread.
The original recipe calls for just five ingredients: kalamata olives, garlic, anchovies, fresh basil and a half cup of olive oil. Now, although olive oil is a “good fat” because it contributes mostly monounsaturated fats, it is still oil, worth 120 calories and 14 grams of fat per tablespoon. If you are like me, you like to spread your tapenade on a little thick. This could get calorically expensive in a hurry.
So I made the following changes to this lovely appetizer. I bought pitted kalamata olives (to save time and frustration). I increased the fresh basil by 1/4 cup; I cut the olive oil in half (to 1/4 cup), and added 1/3 cup of bottled roasted red bell peppers. I thought this would complement the other flavors while adding some body to the mixture.
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Tapenade with basil
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Yield: 1 1/4 cups
1 cup bottled pitted kalamata olives, drained
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can (2 ounces) anchovy fillets, drained, rinsed
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup bottled roasted red bell pepper, firmly packed, drained
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Place olives, garlic, anchovies, basil and bell peppers in food processor container; pulse until finely chopped. Add olive oil; process until fairly smooth. Spoon into a serving bowl.
Nutrition information per tablespoon:
40 calories, 81% calories from fat, 3.7 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 2 mg cholesterol, 180 mg sodium, 1 g carbohydrate, 1 g protein, 0.3 g fiber
