Black Olive Paste

The key to good tapenade, not surprisingly, is good olives. I like the oil-cured kind for this, but they must not be too dried out or they become unpleasantly acrid, and no amount of olive oil can save them. So taste one before buying. (Regular canned black olives are fine too if you can’t find olives in bulk.)

In Provence, considered it’s home, tapenade is used mostly as a spread for plain toasted bread or Crostini. But it’s also great as a d