Tapenades (mixtures of chopped olives, capers, olive oil, and often anchovies, plus some herbs) are very lovely condiments to have around, like pestos, and can be used in so many ways to spark up a meal. This one makes the most of ramps during their brief season, but you could use shallots instead, or a couple of cloves of garlic and a couple of scallions.

Add a spoonful to sautéed mushrooms, smear some under the skin of a chicken before roasting the bird, use it on crostini, add to salad dressings, toss with pasta, spread on sandwiches, or serve with sliced cucumbers or peppers as a dip.

Choosing Olives for Tapenade

The type of olive you choose will affect the flavor of the tapenade, though pretty much any olive will be great. Many tapenades are made with black olives, but some tapenades are made with green olives, like this one. Want to try black olives instead? Go for it.

Here’s a little 101 on some of the most readily available green olive varieties, all of which will be great in this tapenade.

• Castelvetrano olives are bright green, with a hint of sweetness. They have a rich green color, meaty, buttery flesh, and a soft flavor.
• Cerignola olives are super large, with a lush flavor and a somewhat crisp texture.
• Picholine olives have some crunch to them, and a bright flavor with a hint of anise.

Sometimes, you’ll just be buying a little tub of green olives, and the provenance will be unknown to you. That’s a-ok. This tapenade is going to be great, no matter what olives make their way into it.

More Ramp Recipes

• Pasta Salad with Chicken, Green Olives, and Ramp Vinaigrette
• Pasta and Salmon Salad with Ramp Dressing
• Ramp Chimichurri Sauce
• Simple Ramp Pasta
• Spring Ramp and Pea Risotto
• Pasta with Ramps, Edamame, and Sugar Snap Peas in a Light Parmesan Cream Sauce