Fried Olives

For Marjan, by far the finest moment of an Italian day is aperitivo. The pace slows down even more, the streets fill with Italians in their finest outfits and the (bitter) drinks arrive at the table. Along with a series of savory snacks.

These snacks can range from a simple bowl of crisps to cubes of pizza or crostini – pieces of toasted bread with toppings.
In certain regions, such as Abruzzo and Le Marche, you are sure to get a bowl of fried stuffed olives too – olive ascolane. Crispy, soft and briny, they are the ideal accompaniment to a bitter drink or otherwise.

At Primi Bar + Cucina in Amsterdam, aperitivo is central to the 100 percent Italian crew. So fried olives also regularly make an appearance at the table.

Preparation

Use a small, sharp knife to ‘peel’ the olives. Start at the pit as you would when peeling an apple: you will be left with a spiral of olive flesh. Remove the pits and place the olives in a bowl of salted water.

For the filling, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat in a pan and sauté the carrot, onion and celery for about five minutes. Add the pork, beef and chicken and cook for five minutes, stirring gently in the meantime. Add the white wine, nutmeg, salt and pepper and cook for another ten minutes or so, or until the liquid has reduced somewhat. Place the mixture in a blender and purée until smooth.
Add the egg yolk and Parmesan cheese to the meat mixture and mix again, until a fairly firm mixture forms that is easy to roll into balls. If the mixture is too soft or sticky, place it in the refrigerator for a while.

Crispy, soft and briny: olive ascolane.

Roll an amount the size of half a teaspoon into an oval and fold an olive around it. Press gently until the olive closes perfectly around the filling. Keep the olives in the refrigerator until you are ready to fry them.

Beat the egg with a little salt in a bowl and place the flour and breadcrumbs in two other bowls.
Fill a small saucepan with enough olive oil for the olives to float. Heat to between 165 and 185 degrees Celsius.
Dip the olives first in the flour, then in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs; then dip them in the egg and breadcrumbs again. Carefully slide them into the hot olive oil and fry for about one minute, turning them occasionally for even browning. Fry small batches at a time and drain on kitchen paper. Serve immediately.

Recipe: Primi Bar + Cucina Amsterdam