Za’atar seasoned tapenade served over toasted naan with mozzarella cheese.
A few years ago, when we were just starting this food adventure, I created an olive tapenade recipe. It wasn’t a bad recipe, though I certainly needed to update the photos! It was just very simple. This week I realized how much I have grown in the culinary field when I decided to clear out some of the staples I keep on hand and created a totally new and very different tapenade than I had all those years ago. This version brings in some of the more sophisticated ingredients indigenous to folks in the Middle Eastern world. Specifically the use of preserved lemons and a homemade za’atar blend. What a world of difference it makes.
A couple of notes about this recipe:
- Leaving the ingredients minced,versus blending, allows you to get different flavors with each bite.
- Preserved Lemons can be purchased, but are really easy to make. They just need 3 weeks or so to soften.
- You could use a pre-made za’atar mix, but they usually contain salt and with the olives and preserved lemons in this mix, you really don’t need anymore salt.
- If you have hyssop, use it! I didn’t (and it’s not very common in the US) so I used a mix of dried mint and thyme. Mint and Sage would be another worthy option, or swap the thyme for lemon thyme.
- You can substitute a mix of Greek olives as desired, but I would not suggest using canned black olives. It’s not at all the same flavor profile. Though not Middle Eastern, Spanish marabela flavored olives might also be a good swap. (Not that the Spanish cuisine wasn’t heavily influenced by the Moors! ..but that’s history for another time.)
- Lastly, you can skip toasting the peppercorns and cumin, but it really does bring a different tone to spices when they get toasted right before use.
Israeli Inspired Olive Tapenade
By: Semiserious Chefs
Makes: 3/4 cup of tapenade
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup minced kalamata olives
- 1/4 cup minced green olives
- 1/4 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes minced
- 1 t minced garlic
- 1 1/2 t minced preserved lemon
Salt-Free Za’atar
- 1/4 t whole black peppercorns
- 1/8 t whole cumin seed
- 1/8 t dried mint
- 1/8 t thyme
- 1 1/2 t sumac
- sesame seeds for finishing
Directions:
- In a small sauce pan, over medium-low heat, toast the whole peppercorns and cumin, shuffling periodically, for a couple of minutes until warm and aromatic.
- Using a mortar and pestle, lightly crush the peppercorns and cumin to create a coarse grind. Add the mint and thyme and gently break them down as well. You don’t want everything to be a powder. This will allow each bite to have bursts of unique flavor. Add the sumac and stir everything together with your finger or a spoon.
- Add the minced olives, tomatoes, garlic, and lemon to a bowl and stir in your za’atar blend.
- Serve with bread or crackers, or top a salad, pasta, or favorite grain. Sprinkle with sesame seeds to finish.
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