Fried Tuscan Olives Food

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 TUSCAN OLIVES

Steps:

• Add enough oil to fill a large, heavy Dutch oven a third of the way and heat to 350 degrees F.
• Add the sausage, Parmesan, 1 tablespoon parsley and the red pepper flakes to a bowl and mix well. Add to a piping bag with a plain tip.
• Drain the olives and dry them very well with paper towels or a clean tea towel. Pipe the sausage filling into each olive.
• Add the flour to a casserole dish and season with salt and pepper. In a second casserole dish, beat the eggs. In a third casserole dish, add the breadcrumbs, the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley, season with salt and pepper and whisk together.
• Dredge each stuffed olive first through the flour, shaking to remove any excess, then through the egg and then into the breadcrumbs. Pack the breadcrumbs around each olive if necessary. Add to a clean plate. You can refrigerate them now if you are prepping for a party.
• Fry the olives, in batches, until golden and crisp and the pork is cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.

ITALIAN FRIED OLIVES

Steps:

• Special equipment: a pastry bag, a plain tip with a 1/4-inch opening
• In a small bowl, combine the cheeses, thyme, and lemon zest. Place the cheese mixture into the pastry bag. Pipe the cheese mixture into each olive.
• Place the flour in a small bowl. Pour the beaten egg in another small bowl and the bread crumbs in a third small bowl. Dredge the olives in the flour. Using a slotted spoon, remove the olives and place in the bowl with the beaten egg. Coat the olives with the egg and transfer to the bowl of bread crumbs. Coat the olives with the bread crumbs.
• In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour in enough oil to fill the pan about 1/3of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 350 degrees F. (If you don't have a thermometer a cube of bread will brown in a couple of minutes.) Fry the olives, in batches, for 30 to 45 seconds until golden brown. Drain the fried olives on paper towels. Cool for 5 minutes.

FRIED OLIVES

Steps:

• Heat canola oil to 350 degrees F. (Drop a very small piece of bread crumb into the oil if it starts to sizzle the oil is hot enough.)
• Drain the olives.
• Mix flour, garlic powder and chili powder together and place in a shallow dish. Pour eggs into another dish, and bread crumbs with ground black pepper into a third.
• Roll the olives in the flour, then roll them in the beaten egg and finally roll them in the bread crumbs. Set on a plate to give the breading a chance to dry and form a crust while the oil heats.
• When oil is hot, put half the olives into it, being careful not to drop them and splatter hot oil. Fry until golden brown, then remove and drain on paper towels. Be sure to tip the oil out of the center of the olive. Serve on a platter with Manchego cheese cubes and slices of serrano ham.

FRIED OLIVES

Steps:

• Mix the sausage with 2 tablespoons parmesan and the parsley in a bowl.
• Cut open the olives (do not fully cut in half). Stuff with the sausage mixture and press closed (it's OK if the olives don't close completely).
• Mix the breadcrumbs with the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan. Dredge the olives in the flour, dip in the beaten eggs, then dredge in the breadcrumb mixture.
• Working in batches, deep-fry the olives in 350˚ vegetable oil until golden, 4 minutes; drain on paper towels.