Olive Fritte all'Ascolana Vegetariane
Crisp, golden deep-fried green olives filled with braised vegetables, ricotta, and grated cheese. A modern meatless version of the classic Piceno bar snack.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 410 kcal
Equipment
- •Small paring knife
- •Skillet
- •Deep frying pan
- •Three shallow bowls
- •Slotted spoon
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 410 kcal
- fat
- 28 g
- carbs
- 29 g
- fibre
- 3 g
- protein
- 11 g
- calories
- 410 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Warm the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat.
- 2
Sauté the finely diced carrot, celery, and onion until soft and sweet, about eight minutes.
- 3
Transfer the cooked vegetables to a bowl and let them cool completely.
- 4
Stir the drained ricotta, grated Parmigiano, nutmeg, lemon zest, and salt into the cooled vegetables.
- 5
Spiral-cut each olive with a paring knife from top to bottom around the pit, preserving one continuous peel ribbon.
- 6
Shape small hazelnut-sized balls of cheese filling and reshape the olive peel neatly around each portion.
- 7
Roll each stuffed olive in flour, dip into beaten egg, and coat thoroughly with fine breadcrumbs.
- 8
Dip the breaded olives back into beaten egg and breadcrumbs a second time to seal the shell.
- 9
Heat the frying oil in a deep pan to 175 degrees C.
- 10
Fry the olives in small batches for three minutes until crisp and deeply golden.
- 11
Lift them out with a slotted spoon onto paper towels and serve piping hot.
Chef's tips
Double-breading is essential because it forms an impenetrable crust that keeps the delicate cheese filling from leaking into the hot oil. Always ensure the braised vegetables are completely cold before mixing with the ricotta, or the filling will become too soft to shape.
Ingredient substitutions
- Ascolana tenera olives → large green Cerignola or Castelvetrano olives, although they are firmer to spiral cut
- ricotta → grated young caciotta or provolone cheese for a firmer, meltier interior
Storage
Keep leftover fried olives in a sealed container in the fridge for up to two days.
Reheating
Reheat on a baking sheet in a 190 degrees C oven for six minutes until crisp again.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Skipping the second breadcrumb layer, causing the cheese filling to burst through into the oil.
- •Frying in oil that is below 175 degrees C, which results in greasy, heavy olives.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Olive Fritte all'Ascolana Vegetariane?
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