The Ascolana olives are among the most well-known and loved finger foods of Marche cuisine, particularly from the city of Ascoli Piceno.
The secret to successfully making Ascolana olives is to obligatorily use the tender Ascolana olive, rich in sweet pulp, which grows in the Ascoli area and much of the province of Teramo. Additionally, the olive used for Ascolana olives is harvested before the harvest for oil, and preserved in brine with wild fennel, in glass jars. My mother makes a supply every year, so it wasn’t difficult for me to use them for this recipe!
Making Ascolana olives at home requires some of your time, and I recommend doing it in company: it will be a great experience and you’ll have fun! As you know, I live a few kilometers away from Ascoli Piceno, and here there’s still the tradition of making them at home by gathering the family: large quantities of olives are prepared, then frozen and fried as needed.
In my area, there’s no party or special occasion without the legendary Ascolana olives and the delicious fried Ascolana cremini!
Try this version too: Fish Ascolana Olives
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 100 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Stove, Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 100 green "tender Ascolana" olives in brine
- oil for frying
- 9 oz beef
- 5 oz pork pulp
- 3.5 oz chicken breast
- Half carrot
- Half stalk celery
- Half onion
- Half cup white wine
- 1 egg
- 1.75 oz grated Parmesan cheese
- to taste nutmeg
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- to taste all-purpose flour
- to taste eggs
- to taste breadcrumbs
- to taste salt
Tools
- Meat Grinder
- Knife
Steps
To make Ascolana olives, in a pan, pour a swirl of extra virgin olive oil, coarsely chopped carrot and celery, and half an onion. Let it sauté for a few minutes.
Then add the coarsely chopped beef and pork, pepper, and cook for about 20 minutes, covered with a lid.
Finally, add the chicken breast, the wine, and salt. Continue cooking for about an hour over low heat, stirring occasionally. Once the meat is cooked, turn off the heat and let it cool.
Meanwhile, as the meat cools, pit the olives: with a kitchen knife, cut the olive in a spiral starting from the stem, to get a spiral of pulp freed from the pit, being careful not to break the olive.
Once the meat is cold, grind it with a meat grinder, transfer it to a bowl, and add the egg and Parmesan. Season with grated nutmeg and knead with your hands to obtain a homogeneous mixture.
Fill the olives with the obtained filling, taking care to restore their original shape.
Prepare a plate with flour, beat the eggs with a pinch of salt in a bowl, and place the breadcrumbs on another plate.
Proceed with the breading: roll each olive first in the flour, then in the beaten egg, and finally in the breadcrumbs.
Fry the Ascolana olives in hot oil, turning them occasionally until they are evenly browned; then drain and place them on a plate with absorbent paper.
Serve the olives hot and enjoy your meal!
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