Olive all'Ascolana
Plump green Ascolana tenera olives spiral-pitted, stuffed with a braised three-meat filling, crumbed, and fried crisp. Locally called ulive all'asculà.
- Prep
- 60 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 90 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Calories
- 480 kcal
Equipment
- •Small sharp paring knife
- •Food processor or meat grinder
- •Deep heavy-bottomed frying pan or deep fryer
- •Slotted spoon or spider strainer
- •Three shallow bowls for breading
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- fat
- 28 g
- carbs
- 32 g
- fibre
- 3 g
- protein
- 24 g
- calories
- 480 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
- 2
Add the soffritto mix and cook until the onion softens and turns translucent.
- 3
Add the diced beef, pork, and chicken to the pan.
- 4
Brown the meat thoroughly for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly caramelised.
- 5
Pour in the white wine and simmer until completely evaporated, then let cool slightly.
- 6
Process the cooked meat in a food processor until finely minced and cohesive.
- 7
Transfer to a bowl and mix in Parmigiano Reggiano, 1 egg, nutmeg, and lemon zest.
- 8
Stone each olive by peeling the flesh off the pit in a continuous spiral strip.
- 9
Roll a hazelnut-sized ball of meat filling and wrap the spiral olive strip around it.
- 10
Dredge each stuffed olive in flour, dip in beaten egg, and coat in breadcrumbs.
- 11
Repeat the egg and breadcrumb dip a second time to prevent bursting while frying.
- 12
Fry in oil heated to 175 degrees C for 3 to 4 minutes until golden, then drain on paper.
Chef's tips
Use a small, razor-sharp paring knife to spiral-cut the olives as you would peel an apple rind. Double-coating the breadcrumbs creates a protective seal that stops the olive from leaking moisture into the hot oil. Ensure the cooked meat filling is completely cooled before rolling so it does not soften the olive flesh.
Ingredient substitutions
- Ascolana tenera green olives → large Spanish Gordal or Queen green olives in brine
- chicken breast → turkey breast or rabbit loin
Storage
Store uncooked breaded olives covered in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours or freeze on trays for up to 1 month before frying directly from frozen.
Reheating
Reheat cooked leftover olives on a wire rack in an oven heated to 180 degrees C for 6 to 8 minutes until crisp.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Cutting the olives in halves rather than a spiral strip, which prevents proper reassembly.
- •Frying at too low a temperature, resulting in greasy olives that absorb too much oil.
- •Applying only a single layer of breadcrumbs, causing the olives to rupture during frying.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Olive all'Ascolana?
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