This is in Delicious Dishes for Diabetics–to be published in TWO DAYS TIME!!–4th August
Based on Mireille Johnston’s recipe – she got the mix just right – this is a traditional savoury spread.
The word tapenade originates from the Provençal for ‘caper’.
It’s a great standby to have in the fridge and is simplicity itself to make.
Serve it as a summer lunch on toast brushed with olive oil and a slice of the ripest tomato on top, or on grilled slices of
courgettes or aubergines, or on savoury biscuits or small pieces of toast as an appetizer, or whatever!
It is a favourite at St. Martin–and would even persuade Cal McRae to come to lunch!
Serves 4 or more
200 g/7 oz black olives–the oily fleshy Greek ones are best, carefully stoned; it’s important to use the plumpest tastiest olives
6 anchovy fillets – chopped
2 tbsp capers
2 cloves garlic – crushed
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
juice of a lemon
black pepper
120 ml/4 fl oz/½ cup olive oil
- Put all the ingredients, except the oil, in a processor.
- Using the surge button, gradually pour in the oil, bringing it to a nice nobbly sludge, i.e. not too smooth.
- Taste for balance; you may need a little more lemon juice.
- Pour into a bowl or plastic box, and dribble a little more olive oil over to form a preserving film.
- Store in the fridge.
Robin Ellis 
I notice you use lots of anchovies in your recipes. I find that I quite like them now although I detested them when I was young, a feeling that many people seem to share. Do you find that people just accept them if you don’t tell them that anchovies are in the dish they are eating?
Congratulations on the soon-to-be-published book!
Thanks, Marj.
You are right about the anchovy factor!
I like them straight but I understand people’s dislike. However when they are used to inform the taste of things, people find them less strong and more acceptable.
I have diabetic guests arriving next week, so your book will be used just as soon as it arrives! This looks delicious – but what happened to your post about ceps (yesterday)? Or did I imagine it?
Thank you Sophie-Jane–I just published it again.
The toadstool fairies censor held it back perhaps!
I just received an email from Amazon.co.uk that my copy of “Delicious Dishes…” has been dispatched via Royal Mail! Can’t wait! 🙂
Happy to hear that, Paula!
Went into Waterstones monday, & was lucky to get a copy(still waiting for my Amazon copy ,which will be a gift for my Diabetic aunt).Very happy, but now eed to start using the recipes.Hope it is successful for you
Hooray!–good to hear it’s available already.
I will improve… thanks!!!
Just a tiny niggle from a French reader: it’s ‘tapenade’, not ‘tapinade’ which looks like ‘tapiner’, old-fashioned slang meaning ‘to walk the streets’ 😉 Meanwhile the recipe is very close to the tapenade my mother-in-law makes, and it’s simply delicious.
Thank you Jastrow, I spell it right in my book but had a brainstorm on the blog!