Olive all’Ascolana (Deep-Fried Stuffed Olives)

This appetizer is a little labor intensive, but the results will be one of the most memorable nibbles to come out of your kitchen.

2 cups water

1 tablespoon salt

60 large, whole green cured olives

1 ⁄4 cup butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1⁄2 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped

1⁄2 small onion, finely chopped

1 ⁄2 celery stalk, finely chopped

3 1⁄2 ounces pork, finely diced or minced

3 1⁄2 ounces beef, finely diced or minced

3 1 ⁄2 ounces chicken, finely diced or minced

1 ⁄3 cup dry white wine

Pinch of nutmeg

Salt and pepper

1 egg yolk

1⁄2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated 1 whole egg

1 cup flour

1 cup bread crumbs

Oil, for frying

Instructions: In a medium-size bowl, mix the water and salt.

Next, prepare the olives. Arm yourself with a small knife. A regular table or butter knife is easiest to work with; you may prefer a sharp knife, but they can cut too easily through the olive, resulting in breakage. Begin trimming around the pit of the olive, much like you would peel the skin off an apple, to create a “spiral” of olive meat and to remove the pit. Discard the pit, and place the olive in the bowl with the water and salt. Continue with the rest of the olives.

For the filling, over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil in a skillet, and saute the carrot, onion and celery for about 5 minutes. Add all the pork, beef and chicken, and cook, stirring gently, for about 5 minutes. Then, add the white wine, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and continue cooking, stirring gently, for another 10 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced slightly. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and blend until smooth and fine like a paste.

To the meat mixture, add the egg yolk and Parmesan cheese, and blend again. You should have a rather solid, compact filling that you can easily shape into a ball. If it is a bit soft or sticky, place in the refrigerator to chill. This filling can also be made a day or two ahead and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container until needed.

To fill the olives, take a 1⁄2-teaspoon size portion of the filling, roll it into an oval shape, and wrap an olive around it (like the filling is taking the place of the pit). Press gently to close the olive perfectly over the filling. Repeat with the rest of the olives. When all the olives are ready, they can be refrigerated at this point and kept until you need to fry them.

In a small bowl, beat the egg with a pinch of salt. Put the flour and the breadcrumbs in 2 other, separate small bowls.

Fill a small saucepan with enough olive oil for the olives to float. Bring the oil to medium heat.

Double-coat the olives by first dipping them in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, then back into the egg and back into the breadcrumbs. Drop them carefully into the hot oil and fry for about 1 minute, turning them gently to brown evenly. Fry in small batches (do not overcrowd the pan or the temperature will drop significantly), and drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.

Makes 60 olives

Per olive: 58 calories, 3 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 13 cholesterol, 209 mg sodium, 3 g carbohydrates, 1 g dietary fiber, 0 g sugar, 2 g protein