One of the reasons I love this recipe is because it makes my family so happy. My family’s obsession with olives was the inspiration for this tapenade. My husband and all three of our sons can’t get enough of them. In fact, they list olives as their favorite “vegetable.”
Tapenade is usually found on the fancy shelves of grocery stores. After years of buying jar after jar, I finally decided it was time to see if I could make my own. The answer was a big yes. It takes her just 5 minutes to make this flavorful spread, and it takes her less than 24 hours for her family to enjoy it. Enjoy with pita chips, spooned over chicken, or spread on crunchy French bread. I’m not sure if I like eating it by the spoonful.
This recipe is dairy-free, gluten-free, low calorie, nut-free, sesame-free, and vegan.
• Karen Nochimowski is the author of the newly released cookbook 6-Minute Dinners (& More!), which features over 100 simple and delicious recipes with 6 ingredients or less, including nut-free and allergy-friendly options. is. Families can easily eat dinner on the table. The book features testimonies from Gloria Estefan, Alex Borstein, Katie Couric, Howie Mandel, Margaret Cho, Barbara Corcoran, and many others. Karen also launched and operates Mama Chef’s Soup She Kitchen and Mama Chef’s Little She Free Her Pantry in Chicago. This provides free food to people in need around Chicago. To date, Karen has served over 20,000 of her meals and over 15,000 pounds of non-perishable food. A portion of the proceeds from the cookbook will be donated to feed people facing food insecurity.
black olive and thyme tapenade
1/4 cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 cup (180 g) black olives, pitted
1 tablespoon (15ml) lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons (10 ml) mayonnaise, to taste
In a food processor, combine olive oil, olives, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, and mayonnaise (if using). Pulse until mixture forms a coarse paste (stop twice during blending to scrape down sides of bowl).
Taste the tapenade and add salt to taste if necessary.
Tip: You can also use pitted green olives instead of black olives.
If you want a little kick, add a little red pepper flakes before pulsing the mixture.
For 4 people
Karen Nochimovski