The Signature Appetizer from Ascoli Piceno 🇮🇹
The secret behind Olive all’Ascolana lies entirely in the filling. The original recipe from Ascoli Piceno calls for a mix of three types of meat — beef, pork, and chicken (or sometimes turkey).
The meat is first cooked gently with a classic Italian soffritto (carrot, celery, and onion), then deglazed with white wine and flavored with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and Parmigiano Reggiano.
Here’s the key: once the meat is cooked, it should be chopped, not pureed. Ideally, you’d use a meat grinder, which gives the filling a proper texture without turning it into a paste.
If you don’t have one, no problem — just use your food processor’s pulse function and blend a little at a time. This step is crucial for getting a filling with real body and character.
Now let’s get cooking — here’s what’s for dinner tonight: Olive all’Ascolana!
🕒 Cooking Times and Servings
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours
Servings: About 6–8 servings (makes roughly 60–70 olives)
🫒 Ingredients
For the Olives
1 ½ lbs (700 g) large green olives in brine, pitted
(soak in water for a few hours to remove excess saltiness)
For the Meat Filling
10 oz (300 g) beef
5 oz (150 g) pork
2 oz (50 g) chicken or turkey
½ carrot, finely chopped
½ onion, finely chopped
½ celery stalk, finely chopped
2 whole cloves
1 cup (240 ml) dry white wine
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
To Finish the Filling
1 large egg
½ cup (50 g) grated Parmigiano Reggiano
¼ tsp grated nutmeg
Light grating of lemon zest (optional)
For Breading
2 large eggs, beaten
All-purpose flour, for coating
Fine breadcrumbs, for coating
For Frying
Vegetable oil (or light olive oil), for deep frying
👩🏻🍳 Instructions
Prepare the Olives
Place the pitted olives in a bowl of water and let them soak for a few hours to remove excess salt from the brine. Drain and pat dry before stuffing.Cook the Meat Filling
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the carrot, celery, and onion (with the cloves inserted in the onion). Sauté until the vegetables are soft.
Add the beef and pork, stirring to brown lightly. After about 20 minutes, add the chicken, salt, and pepper. Deglaze with white wine, cover, and cook over low heat for about 1 hour, checking occasionally until all liquid has evaporated.Grind or Chop the Filling
Remove the cloves and let the meat mixture cool. Pass it through a meat grinder or pulse in a food processor until finely minced but not creamy.Season the Filling
Add the egg, Parmigiano Reggiano, nutmeg, and lemon zest (if using). Mix well until the mixture holds together.Stuff the Olives
Make a small spiral cut along each olive (like unwinding a roll of paper towels). Fill each olive with a bit of the meat mixture and reshape it gently with your hands.Coat the Olives
Roll each stuffed olive in flour, then dip in beaten egg, and coat with breadcrumbs. For a thicker crust, repeat the egg and breadcrumb step once more.Fry to Perfection
Heat the oil to 350°F (180°C). Fry the olives in small batches for 2–3 minutes, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.Serve
Serve hot as an appetizer or snack — crisp, savory, and absolutely irresistible!
💡 Tips & Tricks
Prepare the olives a day in advance up to the breading stage and refrigerate. Fry just before serving.
Don’t over-process the meat — texture is everything!
Try a mix of meats or add a touch of Marsala wine for a richer flavor.
🧮 Nutritional Facts (per serving, ~8 olives)
| Calories | Protein | Carbohydrates | Fat | Fiber |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 250 kcal | 13 g | 14 g | 15 g | 1 g |
OLIVE ASCOLANE (STUFFED FRIED OLIVES)
Notes
Ingredients
For the Olives
- 1 ½ lbs (700 g) large green olives in brine, pitted
(soak in water for a few hours to remove excess saltiness)
For the Meat Filling
- 10 oz (300 g) beef
- 5 oz (150 g) pork
- 2 oz (50 g) chicken or turkey
- ½ carrot, finely chopped
- ½ onion, finely chopped
- ½ celery stalk, finely chopped
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 cup (240 ml) dry white wine
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
To Finish the Filling
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup (50 g) grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
- Light grating of lemon zest (optional)
For Breading
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- All-purpose flour, for coating
- Fine breadcrumbs, for coating
For Frying
- Vegetable oil (or light olive oil), for deep frying
👩🏻🍳 Instructions
- Prepare the Olives
Place the pitted olives in a bowl of water and let them soak for a few hours to remove excess salt from the brine. Drain and pat dry before stuffing. - Cook the Meat Filling
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the carrot, celery, and onion (with the cloves inserted in the onion). Sauté until the vegetables are soft.
Add the beef and pork, stirring to brown lightly. After about 20 minutes, add the chicken, salt, and pepper. Deglaze with white wine, cover, and cook over low heat for about 1 hour, checking occasionally until all liquid has evaporated. - Grind or Chop the Filling
Remove the cloves and let the meat mixture cool. Pass it through a meat grinder or pulse in a food processor until finely minced but not creamy. - Season the Filling
Add the egg, Parmigiano Reggiano, nutmeg, and lemon zest (if using). Mix well until the mixture holds together. - Stuff the Olives
Make a small spiral cut along each olive (like unwinding a roll of paper towels). Fill each olive with a bit of the meat mixture and reshape it gently with your hands. - Coat the Olives
Roll each stuffed olive in flour, then dip in beaten egg, and coat with breadcrumbs. For a thicker crust, repeat the egg and breadcrumb step once more. - Fry to Perfection
Heat the oil to 350°F (180°C). Fry the olives in small batches for 2–3 minutes, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. - Serve
Serve hot as an appetizer or snack — crisp, savory, and absolutely irresistible!
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