There are so many delicious uses for olive paste (also called tapenade by us Aussies) so we thought we’d share some of Mary’s favourite recipe ideas with you this month.
There is more to be done for sure than simply using it on a cheese platter! Olive pastes have been used as a way of boosting flavour and goodness in foods – in a similar way to pickles and chutneys – for centuries.
Olive pastes are great for enhancing vegan and meat dishes alike, and can add a welcome depth and richness to simple ingredients.
Plain fermented and pasteurised olive paste gives those with food allergies and other specific dietary requirements a way of making their food not only less bland – but also more flavoursome and nutritious.
Here are five useful ways in daily life to take what’s in the fridge or locally available, and turn it into a gourmet meal!
Serving Suggestions for Olive Paste / Tapenade
- Chicken & fish. Rub Pure or Lemon Zest and Italian-style tapenades into chicken or fish before cooking or dollop on afterwards
- Eggs and cauliflower also pair well with plain or lemon zest and Italian-style tapenades. Toss cauliflower through before roasting and spoon onto poached, scrambled or fried eggs.
- Light green salads are delicious with a plain or lemon zest tapenade dressing.
- The robust but gentle flavours of roasted vegetable casseroles or traybakes, poached mushrooms, small beef or lamb fillets or even mince are all favourites to add Moroccan flavoured tapenade or olive paste too.
- All tapenades make pasta dishes taste fuller in body and more complete – also, try spreading garlic bread with tapenade for an extra kick. Here’s a recipe we found which also includes cheese for a truly decadent starter!
Don’t overdo adding it to prepared food, because while it is certainly better for you than tomato sauce, it’s still a concentrated food.
Other Tips
- If you don’t eat all of your tapenade in the first go and the jar needs to go back in the fridge, push the paste down in the jar and flatten the top surface. Add some oil to help preserve it and stop it drying out.
- When you buy the jar keep it in the fridge even before opening to lengthen the shelf life.
- Make food plans to use it all up once it’s opened, with some of the above suggestions as inspiration!
We hope these ideas gave you some encouragement to get in the kitchen and start using your olive paste or tapenade in many more new and delicious ways.
