Easy Artichoke Tapenade Recipe | Easy Tapenade | Life's Ambrosia (2024)

FAQs

Do I need to rinse canned artichoke hearts? ›

Before you add them to any recipe, make sure to rinse off the salt and drain them well.

Tapenade is made with olives and capers, then flavored with other herbs and spices. The dish is finished with plenty of olive oil to give it the desired consistency. What does tapenade taste like? Olive tapenade has a briny, salty flavor from the olives.

It's traditionally spread on bread, but you can use it in canapés or starters such as crostini or bruschetta, or you can stir a little into pasta dishes or sauces, use it as a marinade for meat and also for adding to casseroles and stews. Roll a spoonful into bread or pizza dough for a savoury boost.

If you are opposed to olives, a thick pesto would be a good substitute. You could also substitute the olives with another vegetable of your choice, such as peppers.

The jarred variety is usually sold as marinated artichoke hearts, which are super flavorful and ready to eat as is, or added to a cheese and meat board. In addition to being long-lasting, canned and jarred artichokes are fantastic because they're convenient, available year-round, and super versatile.

First, they're loaded with potassium, a mineral that helps maintain normal heart rhythm and controls blood pressure. Artichokes also contain powerful phytonutrients and antioxidants that may lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, reduce the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease and boost the body's immune system.

Any opened jar of store-bought tapenade in the refrigerator should be consumed within two weeks for the best quality. Homemade versions might have a shorter lifespan, usually around seven days, due to the absence of commercial preservatives.

Preparation. The base ingredients of tapenade are olives and capers. The olives (most commonly black olive) and capers are chopped finely, crushed, or blended. Then olive oil is added gradually until the mixture becomes a paste.

noun. ta·​pe·​nade ˌtä-pə-ˈnäd. : a seasoned spread made chiefly with mashed black olives, capers, and anchovies.

Thus, the percentage of fat in black olives is 29.8 while that of green olives is 16.7. Therefore, the caloric value of the green ones (167 Kcal per 100 grams) is much lower than that of the black ones (299 kcal). Therefore, either of the two is healthy and we can choose between them according to taste.

Is tapenade healthy? ›

Together with garlic, a natural immune booster, and olive oil, which further enhances heart health and aids in nutrient absorption, olive tapenade becomes a powerhouse of nutrition.

What Are Castelvetrano Olives? The Castelvetrano olive, also known as Nocellara del Belice, is an olive varietal from the Valle del Belice region of Sicily. Famous for their mild, buttery flavor, crisp bite and meaty texture, Castelvetrano olives are popular with both hardcore olive lovers and olive-eating newbies.

However, nowadays, tapenade doesn't just mean olive spread - through the years, it has almost become an umbrella term for a wide variety of pates, mostly made of different types of vegetables. From tomato to mushroom and even eggplant tapenade, there is no end to all the decadent pastes you can make!

Ingredients. Black olives (ferrous sulfate gluconate to stabilize color), green olives, canola oil, olive oil, fresh roasted garlic, capers, red pimientos, mustard, spices.

The name tapenade is from the French Provençal word that means capers. The condiment gained popularity in the south of France, but ancient Roman texts suggest a similar spread in Italy thousands of years earlier.

Run the artichoke under cold water, pulling apart the leaves to carefully rinse out the vegetable and remove any impurities. Immediately submerge the prepared artichoke in a bowl of cold water with lemon juice. Keep prepared artichokes in this lemon water till ready to steam.

Marinate and dress your veggies

Since the artichoke liquid is already made up of ingredients like oil, vinegar, and salt, it's an ideal base for a marinade or salad dressing, which usually rely on the same lineup.

While artichoke hearts from a jar are already cooked, you can certainly incorporate them into various cooked dishes. They can be added to pasta, salads, pizzas, or used as a topping for bruschetta. Cooking them lightly in a pan with olive oil, garlic, and herbs can also enhance their flavor.

And like other vegetables, consuming raw artichokes allows your body to absorb more of its nutrients, like Vitamin C, which is sensitive to heat. The parts of an artichoke that can be enjoyed raw include the fleshy bracts, the heart and even the stem!