Fried Olive Recipe
green olives with all'ascolana chopped cibreò chicken livers toscano rice & nduja spicy pork arancini
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Ingredients
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Olive filling (All'Ascolana style with cibreò chicken livers & nduja)
Rice & binding (Arancini base)
Breading & frying
Method
Olive filling (All'Ascolana style with cibreò chicken livers & nduja)
- 1
Prepare livers and pork
Pat the chicken livers dry and trim any connective tissue. Coarsely chop the pork shoulder or pulse briefly in a food processor until finely ground. Set aside.
- 2
Sauté aromatics
Heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the finely chopped shallot and sauté 2–3 minutes until translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
- 3
Cook livers and pork
Increase heat to medium-high, add the chopped chicken livers and ground pork to the skillet. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Cook, stirring, until livers are browned but still slightly pink inside, about 4–5 minutes (they will finish cooking later).
- 4
Deglaze and simmer
Pour in the white wine to deglaze; simmer 2 minutes to evaporate alcohol. Stir in the tomato paste and nduja. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 3–4 minutes, breaking up the mixture so it becomes a cohesive, slightly saucy paste.
- 5
Finish the filling
Remove from heat. Stir in the chopped parsley, oregano, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning with remaining salt and pepper. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes (this makes it easier to form balls).
- 6
Form olive centers
Once cool and firm, take teaspoon-sized portions of the liver-nduja mixture and roll into 24 small balls (about 8–10 g each). Make them small enough to fit inside the pitted olives. Keep chilled.
Rice & binding (Arancini base)
- 7
Prepare rice base
If you don't have leftover risotto-style rice, cook short-grain risotto rice with stock until al dente, spread to cool. To the cooled rice (300 g), gently fold in the butter, grated cheese, 1/2 tsp salt, and the beaten egg. Mix until cohesive but do not overwork — the mixture should be sticky enough to hold shape. Chill 15–30 minutes if very soft.
- 8
Assemble rice around olive filling
Working with slightly damp hands, take about 18–20 g of the rice mixture (roughly a walnut-sized amount) and flatten into a disc in your palm. Place one chilled liver-nduja ball into the center, then take a pitted olive and enclose it fully with the rice, smoothing the seams so the olive is completely encased. Repeat until you have 24 rice-wrapped olives. Keep formed arancini on a tray chilled while you prepare the breading.
Breading & frying
- 9
Set up breading station
Place the flour in a shallow bowl and season lightly with a pinch of salt. Put the 2 beaten eggs in a second bowl. Place the breadcrumbs in a third bowl. Keep the formed arancini chilled until ready to bread.
- 10
Bread the olives
One by one, dust each rice-wrapped olive in flour, shaking off excess. Dip into the beaten eggs, letting excess drip back into the bowl, then roll thoroughly in breadcrumbs to fully coat. For a thicker crust, repeat egg and breadcrumb steps for a double coat. Place breaded olives on a tray and chill for 10–15 minutes to set the crust.
- 11
Heat oil
Pour neutral frying oil into a heavy pot or deep fryer to a depth of about 6–8 cm (about 1 L for a medium pot). Heat to 170–175°C (340–350°F). If you don't have a thermometer, test with a small breadcrumb — it should sizzle and brown in about 30–40 seconds.
- 12
Fry until golden
Fry the breaded olives in batches of 6–8, careful not to overcrowd. Fry 2.5–3.5 minutes per batch, turning gently so they brown evenly, until deep golden and crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel–lined tray to drain. Sprinkle lightly with flaky salt while still hot.
- 13
Serve
Allow to rest 1–2 minutes, then serve warm with lemon wedges. These are best eaten hot so the olive center and liver-nduja filling are warm and slightly melty.