Simply Elegant Home Cooking's video: Olive Tapenade Italian Appetizer Recipe

Olive Tapenade is an elegant Italian appetizer recipe that is sure to wow your friends at family at your next dinner party! Join Eric from Simply Elegant Home Cooking as he demonstrates his unique take on this classic Italian dish! It is imperative to use the freshest and highest quality ingredients for this tapenade recipe! Most high end grocery stores will carry a wide array of Italian olives which is usually the best place to find them. Eric recommends using a combination of green and black olives, and be sure they are sourced from Italy. Also be sure that the rest of your ingredients such as the sun dried tomatoes and extra virgin olive oils are Italian so that your flavors all blend together nicely! Ingredients: -1 cup green Italian olives (Eric uses green Castelvetrano olives) -1 cup black Italian olives (Eric uses black Cerignola olives) -1/2 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained -6 Italian sun dried tomato halves -1 clove garlic -2 anchovy filets -1/3 cup Italian extra virgin olive oil -1/8 teaspoon black pepper -1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional) -20 leaves fresh basil -1 Roma tomato -1 small shallot -1/4 lemon, juiced -Italian bread or crackers for serving Directions: -Rinse and drain the olives. Remove the pits if not done so already. Rinse and drain the capers. -Use a sharp knife to mince the olives and capers into small bits, but do not pulverize them. -Mince the sundried tomatoes and add them to the olives and capers in a bowl. -In a mortar and pestle, mash the anchovies and garlic glove into a paste, and add to the bowl of olives, capers, and sundried tomatoes. -Add in the juice of the lemon, the Italian extra virgin olive oil, black pepper, and the red pepper flakes if using. -Finely dice the Roma tomato and the shallot, and add to the bowl. -Use a sharp knife to chiffonade the basil leaves and add to the bowl. Use a spoon to stir and mix everything together thoroughly. It is a good idea to let the tapenade sit out at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving as this will help the flavors blend. -Serve the Italian olive tapenade with crackers, or toasted Italian bread and enjoy!