Olive all'ascolana

Ascolana olives are a famous appetizer from the Marche region, a dish that combines Italian culinary tradition with refined stuffing techniques. Here is the traditional recipe for preparing them.

Ingredients

• 500 g of high-quality, large green olives in brine, preferably of the Tenera Ascolana variety
• 200 g of beef
• 200 g of pork
• 50 g of chicken
• 50 g of raw ham
• 1 egg
• 50 g of grated Parmesan cheese
• Nutmeg to taste
• Grated lemon zest
• Breadcrumbs to taste
• 1 glass of white wine
• Flour to taste
• Oil for frying
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Begin by preparing the filling. Finely chop the beef, pork, chicken, and raw ham together. Cook them in a pan with a drizzle of oil, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Deglaze with the white wine, let it evaporate, and add a little water if necessary. Cook until the meat is well done and almost all the liquid has evaporated.

3. Let the meat cool down and then grind it in a meat grinder or mix in a blender with the Parmesan, egg, a dash of nutmeg, and grated lemon zest until you get a homogeneous mixture.

4. Clean the olives by removing the pit, taking care not to break them. This process requires patience and delicacy, and often a special tool is used to pit the olives while keeping them intact.

5. Stuff the olives with the prepared meat filling, pressing firmly with your fingers.

6. Coat the stuffed olives first in flour, then in beaten egg, and finally in breadcrumbs, making sure they are completely covered.

7. In a large pan, heat plenty of oil for frying and fry the olives until they are golden and crispy.

8. Drain them and let them dry on paper towels to remove excess oil.

Serve hot as an appetizer, and enjoy the perfect balance of flavors and textures characteristic of Olive all’Ascolana.

Curiosity

Legend has it that Olive all’Ascolana were invented in the noble salons of the city of Ascoli Piceno in the 1800s. At the time, they were a way to celebrate the abundance of olives in the region and to showcase the cooks’ skill in the art of stuffing and frying.