The truth is I’ve never met an olive I didn’t like.

Since I was old enough to pick out pitted whole olives from the can and put them on my fingertips – I’ve been a fan. Which is surprising for this former picky eater.

Fast forward thirty some years and my mom has this olive tapenade and crostini as an appetizer at a holiday party. Naturally, I gravitated to the bright green spread and ate majority of it. My mom told me it was a recipe she had gotten from someone else and that it called for these particular olives, the Castelvetrano. I shouted “those are my regular olives!’ remember this post? OR maybe you saw them here?

Needless to say, they’re phenomenal. Fruity, less salty, more fruity and simply plain good.

I spread this deliciously bright tapenade on crostini and topped with with a single shaving of parmesan. Pure buttery olive perfection.

To cook this olive tapenade gather:

pitted castelvetrano olives
garlic
capers
lemon zest
thyme (dried)
oregano (dried)
freshly ground black pepper
mustard seed
celery salt
parmesan cheese
olive oil
kosher salt

First start by adding 1 (drained) 8 ounce jar of the olives, 2 cloves fresh garlic, 2 tablespoons (drained and rinsed) capers and 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest.

Next add 1 teaspoon both dried thyme and oregano, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon mustard seed, 1/4 teaspoon celery salt and 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Lastly drizzle in 1/4 cup of olive oil.

What are Castelvetrano Olives?

Castelvetranos are from Sicily and are known as Italy’s regular snack olive. These olives are bright green, sweet, buttery, mild and meaty. Savory served on a cheeseboard with white wine or tossed with butter or olive oil for a simple pasta sauce.

Then secure the lid and process until coarsely chopped. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides and then repeat, until the mixture if finely chopped.

Taste to see if it needs any salt and add if desired.

That’s it! Slather it on crostini, topped grilled chicken or pork or toss with pasta. The options are endless.

If you decide to go the crostini route with this tapenade, I’ve left instructions in the printable on how to prepare them.