Tapenade and Provençal Preparations

Rinse the salt-packed capers under cold running water until the brine and excess salt are gone; pat dry. Rinse the salt-packed anchovies, remove any remaining bones, and dry thoroughly on a clean cloth. Pit the olives if not already done. The three components must be dry before pounding begins — any residual water loosens the paste and dilutes the umami construction.

Place the capers in the mortar and pound to a coarse paste. Add the anchovies and pound again, incorporating them into the capers. Add the olives in two or three batches, pounding between each addition. The result must remain visibly rough — fibrous, with discernible fragments of olive flesh — never a smooth or homogenous purée. This is where the dish lives or dies: over-working destroys the textural identity that separates tapenade from a blended spread, and the aromatic volatiles released by excessive mechanical action flatten the layered umami.

Add the olive oil in a thin stream, working it into the paste with the pestle, until the tapenade reaches a spreadable but still dense consistency — it should hold its shape on a knife and not pool or run. Taste for balance: the olive note should dominate, with capers and anchovies audible but subordinate.