Olive spread: the tastiest pairings

It is an extremely versatile product that can be used to enrich and add flavor to many dishes. In fact, olive spread can be used on canapés or sandwiches, as a topping for pasta, and as a condiment for vegetables or baked recipes.

Whenever you want to add extra flavor to a dish, you can count on olive spread.

How to make the olive spread and the most common types

As mentioned earlier, making olive spread is simple but not straightforward: to prevent the end product from falling short of your expectations by being overly pungent or too strong in flavor, the only tip is to pay close attention to the processing temperature.

First of all, use either good quality olives in oil or in brine and control the temperature at which they are processed. Like when pressing olives to extract extra virgin olive oil, the olives for the olive spread must be processed cold; the temperature must be controlled and not exceed 80°F to ensure that the olive spread we obtain will encapsulate all the flavors and properties of the olives used to make it.

The three most famous types of olive spread are:

• Black olive spread: made from black olives, with a strong and distinct flavor
• Taggiasca olive spread: made using Taggiasca olives, well-balanced, intense and flavorful with sweet and slightly bitter notes, suitable for any dish. This is the case with our Taggiasca Olive Spread
• Green olive spread: made from green olives, with a delicate and fresh flavor, great for adding to salads or fresh cheeses

To make olive spread at home, put our Pitted Olives in an immersion blender cup and slowly start to blend, adding a drizzle of Carli Extra Virgin Olive Oil Delicato to help create a really creamy consistency. It is very important that all the instruments you use (cup and blender) have been in the refrigerator for at least half an hour before you start and that you blend intermittently so that the olive spread does not get too hot.

Once made, you can keep it in the refrigerator for about ten days, making sure to cover the surface with oil. You can also freeze it if you wish.

Best olive spread pairings

Now let’s take a look at the most famous olive spread pairings:

• pasta with olive spread and tuna
• olive spread canapés
• olive spread and cherry tomato crostini
• olive spread bruschetta
• black olive spread sandwich
• olive spread vol-au-vents
• condiments with olive spread
• vegetables with olive spread

Pasta with olive spread and tuna

The sauce is quick to make but packed in flavor. While the pasta is cooking, soften some onion in a pan in a little oil. Add some plum tomatoes sliced in half and cook for a few minutes. To finish, add our chopped White Tuna Fish in Olive Oil, a few tablespoons of Carli Taggiasca Olive Spread, a drop of the pasta cooking water to lengthen the sauce and the al dente pasta, which will take on the flavor of the condiment directly in the pan.

Olive spread canapés

Perfect as an appetizer, this is a classic way of enjoying olive spread.
To prepare olive spread canapés just lightly warm some slices of bread and add a layer of olive spread, which will act as the perfect base for different toppings such as ham, caramelized onions or smoked salmon.

Olive spread and cherry tomato crostini

Olive spread and cherry tomato crostini are a perfect summer snack or appetizer: season some slices of homemade bread with a drizzle of olive oil and some black pepper, toast in a frying pan and, when golden brown, add some olive spread, diced cherry tomatoes and a few fresh basil leaves, and your perfect crostini are ready.

Olive spread bruschetta

Olive spread can also add more flavor and intrigue to bruschetta: one example is turkey and olive spread bruschetta, made even more delicious by the addition of crispy bacon and a few salad leaves, a great idea for a quick gourmet lunch.

Olive spread sandwich

Olive spread is also a great sandwich filling, especially for those that follow a vegan diet. Fill a warm roll with olive spread, rocket, our Sundried Tomatoes and hummus for a real flavor bomb.

Olive spread vol-au-vents

Here’s another way of using olive spread as an appetizer: vol-au-vents. Roll out some rectangular puff pastry, divide in half lengthwise and then cut 5 rectangles from each half. Place a knob of olive spread and a few cubes of bacon in the center of each rectangle. Fold over the pastries to form little parcels, brush them with some beaten egg and bake in a hot oven at 410°F until golden brown.

Using the olive spread as a condiment:

Because of its versatility, olive spread can also be used as a condiment: add it to eggs for a tasty Taggiasca Olive Spread omelet to fill with whatever you want, or make a tasty sauce to go with simple Grilled Vegetables with Olive Spread.

There are lots of other ways of using and combining olive spread: we have provided you with a few ideas here but as is often the case in cooking, imagination is the key! Don’t be afraid to experiment and let your taste buds guide you.