Stuffed Ascolana Olives
The Ascoli Province is home to the Ascolana Tenera olive tree; which produces enormous yet succulent olives. So it’s no surprise that the town Ascoli is reknowned for this dish, Olive all’Ascolana (Ascolani Olives), or as they are known by Piceni; Olive Fritte, the large, green olives are pitted and stuffed with meats and cheeses and then fried.
A delicious antipasto served at nearly every restaurant in Marche region that are almost a piquant scotch egg (without the egg!).
If you really want to enjoy this recipe then check out the Ascoli Picchio fixture schedule or one of the many festas in the city and arrive in the stupendous travertine Piazza del Popolo of Ascoli a good while before the game or festivities starts. 
Order them and a glass of local Pecorino or Passerina white wine, sit back enjoy the passegiata and savour this mouth watering delicacy. If you can’t get to Ascoli then try this recipe at home and amaze your dinner guests.
All you need is to is the following ingredients including good quality large pitted olives at your delicatessan.
Ingredients (Serves 4):
- 1 kg of tender Oliva Ascolana del Piceno DOP in brine
- 100 g of chicken breast
- 100 g of veal or if not then beef
- 100 g of pork meat
- 100g of Fennel salami
- 80 g of Parmigiano Reggiano
- 250 ml of Marsala or white wine
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 lemon zest
- 30 g of chopped soft inner part of bread
- 1 carrot
- 1 stalk of celery
- 1 onion
- 200 g of flour
- 200 g of bread crumbs
- Olive oil or rapeseed for deep frying
- 1 tablespoon of extra-vigin olive oil
- nutmeg
- salt
The cooking process
- Finely chop onion, carrot and celery and Chop all the meats into small cubes.
- Pour a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil in a pan.
- Put the pan on low heat for 3 minutes, adding the chopped onion, carrot and celery and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Add the meat and cook for a further 10 minutes before pouring in the marsala and cooking on a low heat for a further 30 minutes.
- Pit the olives if necessary, remove from the brine and then soak for 30 minutes in cold water.
- Finely chop the meat and vegetables with a food processor, place in a bowl and mix well with the soft bread, 1 egg, the Parmigiano Reggiano, nutmeg and lemon zest.
- Now fill the olives with this mixture
- Crack 2 eggs whisking them in a bowl.
- Pour the flour into another bowl.
- Pour the bread crumbs into another bowl.
- Place each olive into the flour, then into the egg and lastly into the bread crumbs.
- Put the olive/rapeseed oil in a deep pan, heat and then fry each olive until golden brown, drain them on kitchen paper and then serve hot with a slice of lemon and a glass of Pecorino or Passerina white wine.
