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Olive ascolane

17/11/2023

Olive all’Ascolana are a typical dish from the Marche region, particularly the city of Ascoli Piceno. They are large olives, of the Tenera Ascolana variety, which are pitted, stuffed with a meat mixture, and then breaded and fried. Here is the recipe for preparing them.

Ingredients

  • 500 g of large green olives, Tenera Ascolana type
  • 150 g of ground beef
  • 50 g of ground chicken meat
  • 50 g of ground pork meat
  • 50 g of raw ham
  • 1 egg
  • Nutmeg, to taste
  • Grated Parmesan cheese, to taste
  • Stale bread as needed
  • Meat broth, as needed
  • Flour, as needed for breading
  • 2 eggs, for breading
  • Breadcrumbs, as needed for breading
  • Frying oil, as needed
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

  1. Pit the olives being careful not to break them and set aside. You can use a cherry pitter or make a spiral cut to remove the pit.

  2. Prepare the filling by sautéing a very fine chop of onion in a little oil. When the onion is golden, add the ground meats and the diced raw ham. Let it brown well, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

  3. Moisten with a little meat broth at a time, allowing it to absorb and continue cooking for about 10 minutes. At the end of cooking, add nutmeg and grated Parmesan cheese. If the mixture is dry, you can add some stale bread soaked in the broth.

  4. Blend the mixture lightly, leaving it not too fine, then let it cool. Once cooled, mix in an egg which will serve as a binding agent.

  5. Stuff each olive with the meat filling, reshaping them to their original form.

  6. Prepare three containers: one with flour, one with beaten eggs, and one with breadcrumbs. Dip the olives first in the flour, then the egg, and finally in the breadcrumbs, making sure the breading is even and compact.

  7. Fry the olives in hot oil until they are golden and crispy.

  8. Drain them on paper towels and serve hot.

Fun Fact

Olive all’Ascolana originated in the 19th century in the territory of Ascoli Piceno, where these fruits were abundant. The original stuffing included a mix of meats of different types, just as in the recipe I provided. Their popularity has grown to such an extent that today they are considered a prestigious appetizer on feast menus throughout Italy.