Messina-style stuffed olives. The Sicilian-style stuffed olives are part of the wide Sicilian cuisine and the many grandmother’s recipes that are little known but delicious.
The Messina-style olives stuffed with breadcrumb mixture (read: breadcrumbs) are a typical Sicilian appetizer, tasty and distinctive. As with all traditional recipes, there is no single version and every family prepares them in its own way. Although the city of Messina claims their origin, this recipe is now known throughout Sicily and interpreted in many ways.
The recipe for my Messina-style olives, like that of Stuffed sun-dried tomatoes, was suggested to me by a dear friend, Francesco. As I mentioned in the recipe linked above, Francesco has built a delightful business around his productions and his recipes are secret, but thanks to the many tips and directions he gave me, I managed to create excellent stuffed olives, as good as his and I’m sure you and he will love them.
For the recipe the ideal olives would be the famous “Sicilian crushed green olives“, which are prepared at harvest time and can be kept in brine all year. Alternatively use good large, meaty olives in brine.
The rest of the recipe is quick, simple and delicious, so let’s prepare it together. If you want to stay updated on all my recipes, you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: about 30 pieces
- Cooking methods: No-cook
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients to make Messina-style stuffed olives
- 30 Green olives in brine (large)
- 3.5 oz grated Parmigiano (medium-aged (Parmigiano))
- 1.8 oz caciocavallo cheese (Ragusa-aged)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Chili pepper (a pinch)
- 2 cups breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- Salt (a pinch)
- 1 bunch parsley
- to taste Extra virgin olive oil
- to taste Chili pepper
- to taste Parsley
- to taste Water
- to taste Vinegar
Tools
- Bowls
Preparation of Messina-style stuffed olives
The crushed green olives are the ones you see in the photo and, of course, must be pitted before stuffing.
Whether you use the suggested olives or common ones, after pitting them, let them rest overnight in a solution of water and vinegar at 50%.
The next morning prepare the filling:
sift the breadcrumbs to remove the larger grains, gather all the ingredients in a bowl except the water, which will be added little by little to adjust the consistency of the mixture, and the salt. Work for about ten minutes, kneading very well with your hands and adding the water little by little.
Stop for a few minutes and let the mixture rest, then evaluate the consistency and taste it; if necessary, adjust the salt.
At the end of the work, the dough should be pliable but not too wet, and on the palate full-bodied and not soggy; that is why water is added little by little (not all breadcrumbs are the same).
Take the olives, open them and stuff them, filling them as in the photo and compacting them well.
Arrange all the olives in a container, drizzle with oil and season with chili and parsley.
Let them rest in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.
The olives are ready; they keep well in the refrigerator for three to four days covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container, but they usually disappear so fast you won’t be able to store them!
Storage and notes
The olives are ready; they keep well in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, but they usually disappear so fast you won’t be able to store them!
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