Olive Ascolane

Olive all'Ascolana (Stuffed Fried Ascolano Olives)

The signature fried appetizer of Ascoli Piceno in the Marche region: large green olives pitted in a single spiral, stuffed with a finely chopped meat filling, breaded and deep-fried until the crust shatters and the meat inside is piping hot. Serve at once with lemon wedges.

Prep

60 min

Cook

35 min

Total

95 min

Serves

6 (about 24 olives)

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •24 whole (24 large olives) large green Ascolano olives (or other large Castelvetrano-style green olives), must be firm, meaty, and large enough to pit and re-wrap; pitted in a single spiral as described in step 1
• •120 g (4¼ oz) boneless veal shoulder (or shank), trimmed of gristle
• •120 g (4¼ oz) boneless beef chuck
• •120 g (4¼ oz) pork shoulder (or sweet Italian sausage, casing removed), traditionally a mix of the three
• •1 small yellow onion, about 80 g, finely diced
• •1 small carrot, about 60 g, finely diced
• •1 small celery stalk, about 50 g, finely diced
• •2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for frying
• •120 ml (½ cup) dry white wine, such as Pecorino or Falerio
• •40 g (½ cup) Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated, Grana Padano is also traditional
• •1 large egg, for the filling, plus 2 eggs for breading
• •0.5 tsp (½ tsp) ground nutmeg, freshly grated if possible
• •1 tsp lemon zest, finely grated, unwaxed lemon
• •fine sea salt, to taste
• •freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• •80 g (⅔ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour, for dredging
• •100 g (1 cup) fine dried breadcrumbs, unsweetened; pass through a sieve if coarse
• •1 l (about 4 cups) mild olive oil or sunflower oil, for deep-frying; use a neutral oil if your olive oil has a very low smoke point
• •1 whole lemon, cut into wedges, to serve

Steps

1. 1 PIT THE OLIVES (the day before is best): Working one olive at a time, with a small sharp paring knife, start the cut at the tip and wind the blade around the olive in a single continuous spiral, keeping the flesh intact, until you reach the pit at the other end. Ease the pit out and re-wrap the olive into its original shape. Place the pitted olives in a bowl of cold water, change the water a few times over 12 to 24 hours to draw out excess brine, then drain and pat very dry with paper towels. (If using already-pitted olives, skip this step; note that they will not spiral, so the filling will simply sit inside the cavity rather than being enclosed.)
2. 2 MAKE THE STUFFING: Bring a small pot of water to a bare simmer, add the veal, beef and pork, and blanch for 5 minutes, then drain and chop very finely, almost a coarse paste, by hand or with a few sharp pulses of a food processor. (Some cooks skip the blanch, but a quick blanch keeps the stuffing pale and lightly binds the proteins.)
3. 3 Make a soffritto: in a heavy skillet, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-low heat, add the onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt, and cook gently for 8 to 10 minutes until soft and translucent but not browned.
4. 4 Add the chopped meat and raise the heat to medium. Cook, stirring, for 6 to 8 minutes until no pink remains and the meat is fully cooked through, then check it with an instant-read thermometer: the mixture must read at least 71 C / 160 F (minced beef and pork) and 74 C / 165 F for any veal, so cook a little longer if it is short. Pour in the white wine and let it bubble until almost completely evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes.
5. 5 Season with salt, pepper and the nutmeg. Spread the mixture on a plate and let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until thoroughly chilled (about 30 minutes). This chilling step is essential so the filling holds its shape when stuffed.
6. 6 Bind the cooled filling with the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, 1 egg, the lemon zest, and a final adjustment of salt and pepper. Mix until homogeneous; the mixture should be just stiff enough to roll into small balls about 2 cm (3/4 in) in diameter.
7. 7 STUFF THE OLIVES: Take one olive, gently open the spiral just enough to slip in a meat ball, then re-close the spiral so the flesh wraps around the filling and the olive looks whole again. Repeat with all 24 olives and line them up on a tray. Chill the stuffed olives for 20 minutes to firm them up.
8. 8 SET UP THE BREADING: Put the flour in one shallow bowl, whisk 2 eggs with a pinch of salt in a second bowl, and put the fine breadcrumbs in a third bowl.
9. 9 Bread each olive first in flour (shake off excess), then dip fully in egg, then roll in breadcrumbs, pressing gently so the crumbs adhere. For a thicker, more authentic crust, repeat the egg-and-breadcrumb stage once more. Place breaded olives on a tray and chill for at least 15 minutes before frying.
10. 10 FRY: Heat at least 4 cm (1 1/2 in) of oil in a heavy saucepan to 170-175 C (340-350 F). Fry the olives in small batches, no more than 4 to 5 at a time so the oil temperature holds, for about 2 to 3 minutes total, turning them, until deeply golden and crisp. Let the oil drain and eat one olive immediately: because the filling is fully cooked before breading, the frying is there for the crust, and the inside should still be piping hot. If an olive ever feels cool in the centre, give it another minute in the oil.
11. 11 Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on a rack (not paper towels, which can make the crust go limp). Fry any sage leaves you have on hand in the same oil for 20 seconds to scatter over the platter.
12. 12 Serve immediately, hot, in a paper cone or on a warmed plate, with lemon wedges for squeezing over. The crust should shatter audibly and the meat inside should be piping hot.