Fried Gorgonzola Olives Recipes

DEEP FRIED STUFFED OLIVES

Steps:

• Chuck Hughes' scrumptious deep fried stuffed olives are a bar snack that can't be beat.
• For the olives: Place the olives in a bowl and cover over with water. While preparing the stuffings, let them soak about 30 minutes to remove the excess salt. Drain the water, rinse the olives and dry completely with a paper towel.
• For the stuffings: In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and cook the shallots. Add the ground veal, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook about 5 minutes. Add the veal stock and continue to cook over medium heat until the liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Transfer the veal mixture to a bowl. Add the Parmesan, parsley, breadcrumbs and egg. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix together and set aside.
• To assemble: Starting from the end (opposite the hole on top), cut the olive away from the pit in a spiral, as if you're peeling an apple. The olive will coil. Place the olive meat in a bowl.
• Pinch a bit of the veal mixture between your thumb and forefinger and roll into a small ball. Shape the olive meat from half the olives around the filling, so the olive regains its original shape. Place on a baking tray, cover with plastic wrap and set aside. Proceed the same way for remaining olives and the gorgonzola cheese.
• Coat the olives lightly in flour, eggs and breadcrumbs. To avoid the stuffing from seeping out, repeat the process twice to get a thick breading. Set aside.
• Pour the olive oil into a medium frying pan and heat until the oil bubbles. Fry the olives until the breading is golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Serve the olives while warm.

FRIED OLIVES

Steps:

• Pour the olive oil into a medium saucepot fitted with a deep-fry thermometer. Place over medium heat and preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Set up a dredging station by placing the flour, egg and breadcrumbs in separate bowls. Working in batches, drop the olives into the flour and roll until evenly coated. Shake off any excess flour and place the olives into the egg. Coat the olives in the egg and lift out, allowing any excess egg to drip off. Roll the olives in the breadcrumbs until evenly coated. Set aside a baking sheet.
• Once the oil is hot, carefully add the basil leaves and lemon peels, being aware that the oil may pop. Fry just until crispy, about 30 seconds. Set aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Working in batches, fry the olives until the breadcrumbs are crunchy and the cheese is soft, 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to cool slightly.
• Put the olives on a serving platter and crumble the fried basil and lemon zest over top. Sprinkle with freshly cracked pepper.

FRIED OLIVES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread walnuts onto a baking sheet.
• Toast in the preheated oven until nuts start to turn golden brown and become fragrant, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
• Combine walnuts and bread crumbs in a food processor; process until finely ground but mixture is still light and airy. Spread into a shallow pan and set aside.
• Beat eggs and water together in a shallow bowl. Spread flour on a shallow plate. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Dip olives, a few at a time, into the beaten eggs. Roll in flour, then dip again into the beaten eggs. Let excess egg drip off the olives, then roll in the walnut mixture. Transfer to the lined baking sheet. Repeat until all the olives are coated with the walnut mixture. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before frying.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 360 degrees F (180 degrees C). Lower 12 olives into the oil and fry until coating is golden, about 45 seconds. Drain briefly on paper towels. Repeat with remaining olives. Serve warm.