Walnut, caper and thyme tapenade

This tapenade is a fabulous appetiser on a piece of crunchy toasted bread, and is the perfect companion to goat and mixed milk cheeses.

• makes

  300 ml

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp baby capers, rinsed
• 2 tbsp thyme, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp rosemary, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp orange rind, finely grated
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup pitted kalamata olives
• ¼ cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Put the garlic, capers, thyme, rosemary, orange rind and balsamic vinegar in a food processor and pulse until well blended.

Add the olives and walnuts and pulse to a coarse paste. Slowly pour in the oil, pulsing as you go, until ingredients are well combined, but not a smooth paste - you may not need all the oil. Season with freshly ground black pepper.

Note

• You can prepare this recipe 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.

For more cheese and condiment pairings, view our feature It's time your cheeseplate grew up.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.