15 Delicious Ways To Eat Store-Bought Olive Tapenade

What, exactly, is tapenade? You may have seen this item on store shelves and not been entirely sure what it is or how to use it. Is it a salad, a condiment, or what? While it can be eaten straight from the jar, this chopped olive-based concoction is typically used to enhance other dishes, putting it firmly in the sauce or condiment category.

Tapenade seems to have derived from various chopped olive dishes that date back to ancient Rome. The food as we know it, though, originated in southern France toward the end of the 19^th century. It's typically made with capers and olives. It was originally made with black olives, but now you're just as likely to find green ones in the mix. In fact, the dish might not be considered tapenade without them. This is because the name is derived from the Provençal "tapenas," which means "capers." Other ingredients include olive oil and either vinegar or lemon juice, while it may be seasoned with basil, garlic, oregano, and parsley. Anchovies, bell peppers, and Parmesan cheese are sometimes featured as add-ins.

Okay, now that we're all straight on tapenade's provenance and ingredients, the next step is to figure out what to do with the stuff. It can be used on bruschetta, deviled eggs, on a pizza, in hummus, or in main dishes like meatloaf. The simplest way to use up a jar, though, is to smear it on crackers or dip chunks of bread in it. (French bread, for preference, as a nod to its origin.) As a condiment, though, it's more versatile than you might think. The following list of tapenade uses, while comprehensive, is far from definitive. It may, however, spark some ideas of your own.

Meatloaf is a pretty unglamorous dish on its own, but adding tapenade is a quick and easy way to lend it a little je ne sais quoi. Tapenade is an underrated ingredient that can completely change the dish when stirred into the ground beef and breadcrumb mixture. While the olives may not be immediately detectable, the condiment adds a savory complexity that subtly transforms the flavor.

Your typical 'za is covered in tomato sauce, but there are plenty of other potential pizza sauces that don't make use of this fruit. (Or fregetable, as we might term such savory fruits that cosplay as vegetables.) One such sauce is tapenade. It's a bit thin to use on its own, but it can be combined with pureed roasted eggplant to make the base of a Mediterranean-style pizza.

Take a spoonful or two of tapenade and thin it out with a small bit of water or white wine. (You could also use pasta water, if you've just finished cooking.) Stir the mixture into hot noodles and add a generous sprinkling of parmesan to enjoy an olive-and-caper-enhanced version of a classic aglio e olio sauce. You can also add tapenade to classic red-sauced pasta, as well, since the two flavors complement each other nicely.

Tapenade also works well with cold pasta. In this case, you may want to mix it with mayo or plain yogurt to thicken it, though it's not necessary. Stir the tapenade (or tapenade-flavored spread) into a bowl of cooked chunky macaroni like shells, farfalle, or fusilli, then liven it up with a squeeze of lemon juice or a splash of vinegar. Add some vegetables such as cherry tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, or marinated artichoke hearts, and finish with feta or mozzarella, and maybe even diced pancetta, to complete the Mediterranean theme.

Tapenade contains both oil and vinegar or lemon juice, so it already has two of the main components of salad dressing. Mix in a little more of either or both, depending on your taste, or combine it with mayo or yogurt to create a creamier dressing. Toss the mixed greens with the tapenade dressing, then add chopped vegetables, cheese, croutons, and maybe a few more olives.

What does Martha Stewart put on her sandwiches? Of course, the domestic diva isn't going to settle for plain old mayo. Instead, she opts for the much fancier tapenade as her chosen condiment. Of course, the muffuletta makers of New Orleans beat her to the punch long ago, as a very tapenade-like olive salad is a crucial component of Louisiana's signature sandwich. One word of advice for using tapenade on a sandwich: The olive oil makes it a bit too wet for your standard sliced supermarket bread, but a thicker, crustier French or Italian loaf can easily soak it up.

One very common thing to do with tapenade is to mix it with hummus. You can find store-bought hummus with tapenade — Aldi's Park Street deli dips are a must-buy for newbies (and oldies) and include an olive tapenade hummus in their regular lineup. If you've already got a jar of tapenade, though, all you need to do is buy (or make) plain hummus, then spoon some tapenade on top and swirl it in. Grab the crudites, crackers, or pita triangles and dip to your heart's content.

Tapenade is made with the classic combo of fat (olive oil and olives), acid (vinegar or lemon), and seasonings (everything else in the mix), making it work as a marinade. It can add flavor to chicken, fish, and vegetables, and also stands up to more strongly-flavored meats such as beef and lamb. To avoid wasting any leftover tapenade after it's been in contact with raw meat, bring it to a boil and then safely repurpose it as a sauce. (According to the USDA, boiling is sufficient to kill off any bacteria.) Tapenade straight out of the jar also makes a great topping for meats and vegetables.

Tapenade can elevate a humble hamburger into a gourmet creation. One unexpected, yet delicious, way to do so is to take a spoonful or two and hide it in the middle of an uncooked patty. (Take two ultra-thin patties, spread the bottom one with tapenade, then cover it with the top patty and pinch to seal them together.) Once cooked, this olive burger can be topped with more tapenade and with spinach, arugula, sliced tomatoes, red onions, and feta cheese.

Many stuffed mushroom recipes call for cheese, and some even include meat. Mushrooms themselves are about as plant-based as you can get, though, so there's no reason the filling can't be vegan, too. Many store-bought tapenades are free of any animal products, so they fill the bill quite nicely. To make tapenade-stuffed mushrooms, remove the mushroom stems, chop them, and sauté them in a little oil. Once the stem bits are soft, mix them with tapenade, then stuff the mushrooms with the mixture and bake until soft.

Many people like to spread tapenade over their avocado toastto enhance the otherwise bland flavor of this fregetable. (See, we told you this term would come in useful!) You can also sprinkle on a little flaky salt and some crushed red pepper, or go all out and add a poached egg, tomatoes, or cheese.

A jar of tapenade is your shortcut to making a homemade olive loaf (the bread kind, not the old-school cold cut). One way involves spreading it over flattened bread dough, then rolling the whole thing up into a loaf before baking. If you're not up for baking bread from scratch, you can always cover a pan of store-bought pizza dough with tapenade to make a quick and simple olive focaccia. Even easier, use it in place of both garlic and butter to give garlic bread a tapenade twist.

Tapenade also makes excellent bruschetta. You'll first need to toast thin slices of bread (a baguette is perfect for this), then top each slice with cheese. Manchego and mozzarella are both excellent choices, while goat cheese is great if you want something soft and spreadable. Spoon on some tapenade and you're good to go. You can add herbs or chopped peppers as a garnish if you wish, but the tapenade itself does the heavy lifting in terms of flavor.

Charcuterie technically refers to nothing more than deli meats — either that, or the deli that sells them. In recent years, however, the term has come to encompass all of the items piled on trendy charcuterie boards, which often include crackers, cheese, and even condiments. Tapenade fits perfectly into the latter category. Pour it into a small bowl, add a teeny-tiny spoon, and position it next to a pile of crackers or tiny toasts.

Deviled eggs were once a down-home picnic accessory, but in recent years they seem to have been discovered by chefs who like to dress them up with everything from beef tallow to smoked salmon (the latter is an Ina Garten favorite). Tapenade, too, makes a fine, fancy deviled egg filling. All you need to do is mix it with the mashed yolks — there's no need for mayo because of the olive oil. It can also be spooned over deviled eggs to dress them up a bit.