Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Dinner Tonight: Pasta with Olive Tapenade

Posted by Blake Royer, January 13, 2009 at 4:45 PM

I was flipping through Nigel Slater's Real Fast Food the other day in a bookstore, and it fell open to this recipe—which wasn't really a recipe but a casual suggestion for tossing pasta with olive tapenade.

I decided to run with it, creating this adaptable dish using Kalamata olives, capers, a bit of dried oregano, and olive oil—all blended together and tossed with hot spaghetti and butter. I was pretty pleased with the result, a done-before-the-pasta-finishes weeknight dinner, may favorite kind.

I would definitely stress that this dish is adaptable. The dab of butter was a welcome addition, giving the pasta some creaminess and mouthfeel, but you could leave it out in favor of olive oil. While I was eating, the only thing missing was a little heat, so I'd definitely use chili flakes next time.

Pasta with Olive Tapenade

- serves 2 -
Adapted from Real Fast Food by Nigel Slater.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons pitted kalamata olives
1/2 teaspoon capers
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
olive oil as needed
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 pound long pasta, such as spaghetti
2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

1. Bring a pot of salty water to boil, and cook the pasta until al dente.

2. In the meantime, combine the olives, capes, oregano, and a little olive oil in a mini food processor or mortar and pestle. Blend or smash until well-combined into a paste. Add more olive oil if needed, aiming for a loose paste. (If you'd like to add a little chili, cook chili flakes over low heat in the olive oil, then add to the rest of the ingredients).

3. Drain the pasta, reserving some cooking water, and toss in a serving bowl with the olive paste and chopped parsley. Add the butter and toss until melted. If the pasta is dry, use a little pasta water or more olive oil to loosen it. Serve immediately.

3 Comments Favorite this!  (7)

Tags: Healthy and Delicious, olives, pasta, quick meals, tapenades, vegetarian

View other entries from Dinner Tonight.