The ultimate summer caviar

To me, tapenade screams of summer. It’s what I call the Provencal man’s caviar. Just the thought of this herbed olive paste reminds me of my first summer in the south of France, where I saw it served as an appetizer on every restaurant terrace alongside a glass of rose, perhaps a Pastis or a chilled almond cordial drink (“sirop d’orgeat”). To this day, I only make it when it’s hot outside – and here in Dubai, I make it a lot. It’s the easiest thing in the world to prepare, you can’t get it wrong, and unless someone doesn’t like olives, it’s always a hit. Serve it up with vegetables as a dip or on crackers (in the picture I used homemade blinis) as a spread. My husband puts a few dollops on perfectly ripe sliced tomatoes with a drizzle of olive oil and a few fresh basil leaves – sheer bliss.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• 2 cups of pitted black olives (the crinkly kind – don’t take Kalamata)
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 2 tsp of Herbes de Provence (a mix of thyme, basil, rosemary and marjoram)
• 2 small anchovy fillets
• 2 tsps of capers

Instructions

1. Put everything in a mixer and blend until it is almost smooth but still has a grainy consistency
2. Keep it in the fridge, covered, until ready to serve. It keeps well for up to a week.