Olive Ascolane are small golden gems, filled with meat, breaded and deep-fried. All the flavors are perfectly balanced in this traditional appetizer that requires patience in preparation and and precision in the frying process. The saltiness and acidity of the olives is counterbalanced by the richness of the filling, by the crunchiness of the coating and by the heat from the frying.
Olive Ascolane are a regional specialty of Ascoli Piceno, in the region of Le Marche (in central Italy). In August, there is a festival called Ascoliva, where you can savor this delicacy and visit various exhibitions about the importance of this product in the history and tradition of the city of Ascoli Piceno.
I love making these little fried balls, but I must confess that it takes quite a bit of time, as you have to fill every single olive by hand! So when you make this recipe, make sure you carve out a bit of extra time. I promise – it will be worth it!
Where is Olive Ascolane from?
The Ascolana Tenera, which is the type of olive classically used to prepare Olive Ascolane, was well known since Roman times. The recipe of Olive Ascolane was born in the year 1800, according to the historian Benedetto Marini. This preparation became popular among the wealthy noble families of Ascoli Piceno, where the cooks agreed on using leftover meats to create a filling to stuff olives. Their preparation remained a local artisanal tradition until the second half of the 19th century, when it started becoming popular in other regions. Even today, some restaurants and shops prepare Olive Ascolane according to the ancient recipe. The Ascolana Tenera olive has obtained the recognition of DOP mark (protected designation of origins).
Nowadays, Olive Ascolane are popular all over Italy, as it is definitely a snack that hits the spot. They are usually one of the nibbles served during an aperitif to accompany a Spritz. Olive Ascolane would never be missed at a special occasion, a party, or at Christmas, and every family has its own recipe to make this tantalizing appetizer. While it takes some effort, once you have tried these Italian gems, you will be addicted.
Why you will love Olive Ascolane
– It is a savory, irresistible and yummy snack with a distinct umami flavor.
– It is a lesser-known traditional Italian recipe that reveals an explosion of flavors.
– This snack is perfect for impressing your guests.
– In Italy, it is a must during special occasions and festivities.
Olive Ascolane recipe ingredients
To prepare Olive Ascolane you will need:
Olives: While the classic variety of olive used for this recipe is the Ascolana Tenera, they are quite hard to find outside Italy, so you can easily find great substitutes. You will need to use jumbo green olives that are bigger than the normal olives you find at the supermarket. Two good options that both yield a great result are Castelvetrano olives (from Sicily) or Queen olives (from Spain). I advise you to find pitted olives, as that makes the preparation easier.
For the stuffing:
Onions, Celery, Carrots: Finely chopped to make the soffritto. You may wonder what is soffritto? It is a mix of chopped celery, shallots, and carrots that is the base of many Italian recipes and it adds a flavorsome taste to any recipe.
Meat: The original recipe calls for a combination of 3 kinds of minced meat: beef, pork and veal. You can use just 2 of these, and also can sub one of them with chicken or turkey. You can also add in a cold cut to change things up. I usually use beef and pork, and add in some mortadella, which gives a velvety flavor.
Parmesan: You should use fresh grated Parmesan cheese. This adds some saltiness and some fat. I would not sub it with any other cheese, as you will need a little quantity anyway.
Herbs: A bit of parsley fits well with the meat.
Eggs and Breadcrumbs: They will contribute to blend together the rest of the ingredients.
Spices: All that you need is a bit of nutmeg and cloves.
For the coating:
Flour, egg and breadcrumbs: These are the ingredients you will need to bread the olives.
For the deep-frying
Vegetable Oil: I recommend using vegetable oil, even if the tradition calls for EVOO. Vegetable oil is safer due to its higher burning point, unlike EVOO that reach a high temperature faster and might burn your food if you are not too experienced with the deep-frying process.
How to make Olive Ascolane
Step 1: Make the filling
Start by making your soffritto. Chop the onions, celery and carrots. Heat some EVOO in a pan and, once the oil shimmers, add the vegetables. Cook them for 5 minutes until they are soft and then add the minced meat. Continue to cook for 15 minutes, until the meat has lost its pink color. Remove the meat from the heat and let it cool completely. In a food processor, combine the meat with the mortadella and mix it until it forms a paste. Return the paste to a bowl and add the herbs, the spices, parsley, egg and breadcrumbs. Mix it well until combined.
If your paste is too crumbly, add some milk. If instead it is too runny, add a bit of parmesan or more breadcrumbs.
Step 2: Fill each olive
While tradition calls for you to make a spiral incision in each olive to remove the pit, this is a very lengthy process, especially if you are making them for a crowd. If you can find pitted olives, that is advisable, as you will save a lot of time. Slice each olive vertically around ¾ of the way down, being careful not to slice the olive all the way through to the bottom. Gently open it, place the filling inside and reclose. Continue until you have filled all the olives.
STEP 3: Breading the olives
Once you complete filling all the olives, take 3 bowls and fill the first with flour, the second with the beaten eggs and the third with the breadcrumbs. Dip each olive, first in the flour, then in the egg wash and then in the breadcrumbs, making sure the olive is well coated. I usually do a double-dip, so after the first coating, I dip the olive again in the egg wash and then in the breadcrumbs. Roll the olive gently in your hands to shape it as roundly as possible.
The original recipe calls for just one coating, but I like to double coat for 2 reasons. First, it makes the breading more consistent around the entire olive, making it easier to deep fry. Second, it gives a super-crunchy texture to it, without having too much bread around the olive.
STEP 4: Frying the olives
Heat the oil in a deep-frying pan. Once the oil is hot, immerge the olives and keep a close eye on them. Remove them as soon as they reach a golden color. This operation will only take a few minutes, so keep observing your olives, or you could risk burning them…and we do not want to burn the olives after all the effort it took to prepare them!
Put them on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil and then put them on a serving plate. It’s best to eat them while they are still hot.
Which wine to pair with Olive Ascolane
I suggest pairing Olive Ascolane with Verdicchio, from the Marche region. Its lemon and peach notes fit well with the flavor combination of this appetizer.
Another option would be to pair them with your favorite Italian Spritz or Cocktail, as Olive Ascolane are a classic part of happy hour.
Please let me know how you like the Olive Ascolane in the comments! I really would love hearing from you, and hope this appetizer will accompany you throughout this festive season.
Ingredients
- 60 unit olives giants (see notes), pitted
For stuffing the olives
- ½ cup onions finely chopped
- ½ cup celery finely chopped
- ½ cup carrots finely chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil EVOO
- ¾ cup pork minced
- ¾ cup beef minced
- ½ cup mortadella chopped
- ⅓ cup Parmesan freshly grated
- 4 tbsp parsley
- 1 tsp nutmeg powder
- 1 tsp cloves powder
- 1 unit egg
- 3 tbsp breadcrumbs
For breading the olives
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 3 unit eggs beaten
For deep frying the olives
- 3 cups oil vegetable
Instructions
STEP 1. Prepare the stuffing
- Start by making your soffritto. Chop the onions, celery and carrots. Heat some EVOO in a pan and, once the oil shimmers, add the vegetables and cook them for 5 minutes until they are soft.
- Add the minced meat. Continue to cook for 15 minutes, until the meat has lost its pink color. Remove the meat from the heat and let it cool completely.
- In a food processor, combine the meat with the mortadella and mix it until it forms a paste.
- Return the paste to a bowl and add the spices, parsley, 1 egg and breadcrumbs. Mix it well until combined ( see notes).
STEP 2. Stuff the Olives
- Slice each olive vertically around ¾ of the way down, being careful not to slice the olive all the way through to the bottom.
- Gently open it, place the filling inside and reclose. Continue until you have filled all the olives.
STEP 3. Breading the Olives
- Once you complete filling all the olives, take 3 bowls and fill the first with flour, the second with the beaten eggs and the third with the breadcrumbs.
- Dip each olive, first in the flour, then in the egg wash and then in the breadcrumbs, making sure the olive is well coated. After the first coating, the olive again in the egg wash and then in the breadcrumbs (see notes).
- Roll the olive gently in your hands to shape it as roundly as possible.
STEP 4. Frying the Olves
- Heat the oil in a deep-frying pan. Once the oil is hot, immerge the olives.
- Put them on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil and then put them on a serving plate.
- Enjoy them while they are still hot.
Notes
- Ascolana Tenera is the variety used to make traditional Olive Ascolane. Since they are quite hard to find outside Italy, you can easily find great substitutes that will not compromise the taste. Two good options that both yield a great result are Castelvetrano olives (from Italy) or Queen olives (from Spain).
- If your paste is too crumbly, add some milk. If instead it is too runny, add a bit of parmesan or more breadcrumbs.
- The original recipe calls for just one coating, but I like to double coat for 2 reasons. First, it makes the breading more consistent around the entire olive, making it easier to deep fry. Second, it gives a super-crunchy texture to it, without having too much bread around the olive.
- Deep-frying the olives will take only a few minutes, so keep observing your olives to avoid burning them.
Nutrition
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