Tapenade aux galets d'olives (Olive-pebble tapenade)
A dark, powerful paste of black olives pounded with capers, anchovies, and olive oil. A concentrate of sun and salt that keeps for a long time and enlivens any crust of bread.
A dark, powerful paste of black olives pounded with capers, anchovies, and olive oil. A concentrate of sun and salt that keeps for a long time and enlivens any crust of bread.
Keep it in a pot, covered with oil, and it will wait for you for weeks. I would pound the black olives with capers and anchovy, a little of that oil that smells of the hillside, and spread it on bread when a friend dropped by unexpectedly. It's black as a Sorgue pebble, it's frank, it's straightforward — like, I like to think, a word kept.
- •Pitted black Provençal olives — two good handfuls (base)
- •Capers — one spoonful (acidity, pungency)
- •Salted anchovies — a few fillets (umami, salt)
- •Olive oil — a drizzle (binder and preservation)
- •Thyme — a pinch (flavor)
Tapenade aux galets d'olives (Olive-pebble tapenade)
A dark, powerful paste of black olives pounded with capers, anchovies, and olive oil. A concentrate of sun and salt that keeps for a long time and enlivens any crust of bread.
Why this dish? A paste of black olives, capers, and anchovies that keeps for weeks in a pot under oil: the ideal reserve for a Vaucluse household. Char would spread this concentrate of Provence on his bread, among his philosophy books and the works of his friend Braque; the black olives have the color of the Sorgue's pebbles.
Keep it in a pot, covered with oil, and it will wait for you for weeks. I would pound the black olives with capers and anchovy, a little of that oil that smells of the hillside, and spread it on bread when a friend dropped by unexpectedly. It's black as a Sorgue pebble, it's frank, it's straightforward — like, I like to think, a word kept.
Ingredients (period version)
- Pitted black Provençal olives — two good handfuls (base)
- Capers — one spoonful (acidity, pungency)
- Salted anchovies — a few fillets (umami, salt)
- Olive oil — a drizzle (binder and preservation)
- Thyme — a pinch (flavor)
Ingredients
- Pitted black olives (Nyons type) — 200 g (base)
- Drained capers — 1 tbsp (acidity)
- Anchovy fillets in oil — 4 (umami)
- Garlic clove — 1 small (flavor)
- Extra virgin olive oil — 5 tbsp (binder, preservation)
- Lemon juice — a few drops (freshness)
- Thyme — 1 pinch (flavor)
Method
- Combine olives, capers, anchovies, and garlic in a mortar or small food processor.
- Pound or pulse, adding the oil in a stream until a coarse paste forms (not too smooth).
- Add a few drops of lemon juice and thyme; taste before salting (anchovies and olives are already salty).
- Spread on grilled bread, or store in a jar covered with a film of olive oil.
- Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, always covered with oil.
How it was made : Tapenade takes its name from the Provençal 'tapeno' (caper) and was codified at the end of the 19th century in Marseille, but pounded olive paste is much older throughout the Mediterranean basin. Covered with oil, it served as a long-lasting reserve before refrigeration.
The contemporary twist : Quenelle of tapenade on a Parmesan shortbread, or slipped under the skin of a roast chicken to perfume it from within.
Sources : J.-B. Reboul, La Cuisinière provençale (1897)
René Char · Charactorium