Dried Fig and Olive Tapenade
Growing up, I despised olives. I found them rubbery and tasteless, like chewing on an eraser. I picked them off my pizza, pushed them to the side of my plate, and fed them to my dog Bubbles. That is, until I met my Spanish exchange host mother, Pilar. Within hours of arriving in Leon, she offered me a toothpick holding two pine-green manzanillo olives. I may not have known much at 16, but I did know that it would have been rude to turn down food, even one that I hated. And, I was famished. I took the toothpick from her fingers and inhaled the olives’ grassy aroma, then used my teeth to unspear them and take a bite. To my surprise, they weren’t rubbery at all! They gushed with briny juice. The olives were meaty and buttery and salty but somehow light and fruity, too. They were bitter, but pleasantly so. I’d never tasted anything like them. I’ve been an olive lover ever since.
Pleasantly bitter is code for brain-healthy oleocanthal
That “pleasantly bitter” characteristic, I learned later in life, is a hallmark of high-quality olives and extra-virgin olive oil, and an indication of the oleocanthal content. Oleocanthal, aka oleic acid, is a polyphenol that protects cells that are under oxidative stress. In animal studies, it is the component in olives and olive oil that actively reduces amyloid plaque formation in the brain. One way to tell if an olive oil is high-quality enough to be called extra-virgin is by detecting that pleasantly bitter sensation on the back of the throat that tickles and makes you want to cough. It’s also what makes certain olive oils taste spicy, like the peppery ones from Tuscany.
Olives are brain food, too
The brain health qualities of olive oil are well-documented, but people don’t always think of the olives themselves as a brain-healthy food. They are! Both whole olives and olive oil provide a brain-friendly fat profile and antioxidant power that comes from a high concentration of polyphenols and vitamin E. Not to mention, there are perks to eating the whole olive rather than pressed into an oil. When you enjoy olives in their whole-fruit, fiber-rich package, they tend to ameliorate the blood sugar spiking that happens after a meal. (Yes, olives are in fact a type of stone fruit, like a peach.)
Dried figs provide polyphenols
The dried figs in this dip do more than provide a sweet contrast to the olives. Figs are brimming with brain-healthy polyphenols, on par with levels found in green tea and red wine. When figs are dried, these polyphenols are even more concentrated. Figs also provide potassium, fiber, calcium, and magnesium. I often use dried black mission figs in the recipe, because that’s what I usually have on hand. But I’ve also made it with the dried white figs I bring back from Sicily, which have a more delicate flavor and add a lovely floral note to the tapenade.
This tapenade could make an olive lover out of you
When I created this recipe, I wasn’t trying to convert people into olive lovers. I was running late (as usual), scrambling to throw together an appetizer to bring to a dinner party. I thought about putting the figs and olives—two things I always have on hand—on a platter and rushing out the door. Instead, I took an extra few minutes and blitzed them in a food processor to create a chunky spread. I added capers for more briny flavor, Balsamic vinegar for tang, and a fruity extra-virgin olive oil to marry all the flavors. A sprig of rosemary, plucked from my window garden, minced and folded into the tapenade, adds a woodsy aroma. I scraped it all into a bowl, staked another spear of rosemary into the center, and served it with what I had in my fridge—sliced English cucumbers, baby carrots, sugar snaps, and crumbled goat cheese. I’ve never served this without being asked for the recipe.
The recipe works with all types of olives, like black Kalamata, green Castelvetrano, or even the pimiento-stuffed olives used in martinis. When available, I prefer the freshness of olives found in the bulk section of many grocery stores, but shelf-stable, jarred olives work just as well. If you have the time, buy unpitted olives and remove the pits yourself. Unpitted olives absorb less of the salt from the brine and retain their fresh, fruity flavor longer. The only olives that would not work are the dry-brined ones packed in salt.
Ingredients
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- Use scissors to snip off the stems of the figs.
- Place the figs, olives, olive oil, rosemary, vinegar, and capers in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until it turns into a chunky spread, adding more oil if needed.
- Scrape the tapenade into a serving bowl topped with the sprig of rosemary. Serve with whole-grain crackers and sliced fresh vegetables, such as radishes and spring turnips.
To store: Leftover tapenade keeps in the fridge, tightly covered, for up to 5 days.
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