tapenade is the french name for the olive paste. depending on the olives' color, it is "noir" (black) or "vert" (green). olive paste is very tasty, offering savor to every sandwich or entree.
the provence recipe is very tasty and is worth trying. the ingredients can be dosed by preference; i will give some guidance weights, by my taste.
put in the blender or robot 200 gr black olives in brine, a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, one tablespoon of capers, juice of one lemon, one teaspoon of potted anchois (anchois, salt, oil) or a thread of anchovies, some cognac (one teaspoon), garlic, sugar (half teaspoon), thyme, rosemary and pepper.
serve on baguette slices (optional, greased with butter) or grissini, in various combinations in sandwiches, in seasoning the steaks, with different starters.
if you want to eat like the french, do not forget to put on the table also a platter with different cheese and good wine, dry.
enjoy your meal!