The Old Spaghetti Factory Olive Tapenade Recipe

The Old Spaghetti Factory’s Olive Tapenade is a zesty and flavorful spread, skillfully crafted with a blend of finely chopped olives, capers, garlic, and herbs, enhancing the dining experience with its robust taste. Great before an Italian meal or at a party.

Make our The Old Spaghetti Factory Olive Tapenade Recipe at home. With our Secret Restaurant Recipe your Olive Tapenade will taste just like The Old Spaghetti Factory.

Photo by Marco Verch Professional Photographer

Italian Cooking and the Olive – A Culinary Love Affair We All Can Share

Italian cooking has a longstanding love affair with olives, an integral ingredient that plays a vital role in the country’s diverse and flavorful culinary landscape. Italy, a major global producer of olives and olive oil, incorporates these versatile fruits in a multitude of dishes. The rich, briny taste of olives adds depth to various recipes, from classic pasta dishes to salads and antipasti.

Olives are not just an ingredient in Italian cooking; they are a symbol of regional diversity. Each region in Italy boasts its unique varieties of olives, influencing the local cuisine and contributing to the country’s gastronomic richness. From the plump and mild Castelvetrano olives in Sicily to the small, intensely flavored Gaeta olives in Lazio, the diversity of Italian olives reflects the country’s agricultural bounty.

Whether served as an appetizer, like Olive Tapenade, tossed into pasta sauces or pressed to create exquisite olive oils, olives are a culinary cornerstone in Italy. Their presence in Italian cuisine speaks to a deep appreciation for fresh, high-quality ingredients, capturing the essence of the Mediterranean diet that prioritizes simplicity, seasonality and the art of enhancing flavors with the pure and robust essence of olives.

Olive Tapenade

Olive tapenade, a traditional Mediterranean condiment, is a savory and versatile spread renowned for its bold flavors. Originating from the Provence region of France before being adopted and embraced fully by Italy with their intense love of all things olive, this appetizing blend typically includes finely chopped or pureed olives, capers, garlic and anchovies, creating a harmonious medley of salty, tangy, and briny notes. The word “tapenade” itself is derived from the Provençal word for capers, “tapenas.”

This rich and flavorful mixture has found its way into various culinary traditions, serving as a popular accompaniment to bread, crackers or as a topping for appetizers and main dishes. The versatility of olive tapenade lies in its ability to add depth and complexity to a range of dishes, from sandwiches and wraps to pasta and grilled meats.

Beyond its Provençal origins, olive tapenade has become a staple in Mediterranean and international cuisine, appreciated for its robust taste and the way it effortlessly elevates the overall dining experience. Whether enjoyed as a condiment or a standalone dish, olive tapenade’s distinct combination of savory elements continues to captivate taste buds and remains a cherished component in the world of culinary delights.

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The Old Spaghetti Factory Olive Tapenade Recipe

The Old Spaghetti Factory's Olive Tapenade is a zesty and flavorful spread, skillfully crafted with a blend of finely chopped olives, capers, garlic, and herbs, enhancing the dining experience with its robust taste. Great before an Italian meal or at a party. Make our The Old Spaghetti Factory Olive Tapenade Recipe at home. With our Secret Restaurant Recipe your Olive Tapenade will taste just like The Old Spaghetti Factory.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Party Recipe, Side Dish

Cuisine: French, Italian

Keyword: Dip, Olives, The Old Spaghetti Factory

Yield: 1 Bowl

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups pitted Kalamata Olives
• 2 1/2 cups pitted medium Black Olives
• 1 tablespoon fresh Garlic chopped
• 1/4 cup Capers
• 1/2 teaspoon dried whole Thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed Oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
• 1 loaf rustic Italian Bread, toasted (or chips, crackers or other, of choice) to serve

Instructions

• Add Kalamata and black olives, garlic, capers, thyme, oregano, pepper, salt, extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice to the food processor. Mix until smooth (about 20-seconds).
• Empty olive tapenade into a quart container.
• Store in a tightly covered container, in the refrigerator, until cool or ready to serve, up to 2 weeks.

The Old Spaghetti Factory Olive Tapenade

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Photo of “Olive Tapenade with Crackers” is by Marco Verch Professional Photographer and is used by permission under the CC BY 2.0 Deed Attribution 2.0 Generic Creative Commons License. Read the Full License Here – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode.en. Photo of “The Old Spaghetti Factory, Toronto” is by Ian Muttoo and is used by permission under the Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic Creative Commons License. Read the Full License Here – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode.en. Thank you, Marco and Ian. Great Pictures. Photos may be “representative” of the recipe and not the actual finished dish. All photo licenses listed were correct at the time of the posting of the page. Recipe is our adaption of several recipes formally widely-circulated on the internet – courtesy of the Wayback Machine. Additional Information is from original research done by SCRR and/or courtesy of Wikipedia and is used by permission.