Author Notes
I am an olive fiend, and for me, this dish is the ultimate snack food. Olives, stuffed with a savory goat cheese, breaded and fried until crisp, and topped with a shaving of sharp cheese, lemon zest, and a spritz of lemon. I do hope you like them! - arielleclementine —arielleclementine
Test Kitchen Notes
This high-low snack can work just as easily for a movie snack as it can for a dinner party hors d'oeuvres. These crunchy little flavor bombs come out of the hot oil looking like hedgehogs with a shaggy brown coating of panko. Inside is a layer of tangy olive and then rosemary-and-dried chile scented goat cheese. They hold up well, so you can fry them up to an hour in advance; just keep them warm in a low oven. And chill some prosecco. - A&M —The Editors
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Ingredients
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24
large green olives, pitted
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1/2 cup
goat cheese
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1 teaspoon
whole mustard seeds
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1 teaspoon
fresh rosemary, chopped fine
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1/4 teaspoon
crushed red pepper flakes
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1
garlic clove, minced
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1 cup
all purpose flour
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1
egg, beaten
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1 cup
breadcrumbs (fresh or panko)
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1/3 cup
parmigiano reggiano, or similar
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1 cup
vegetable oil
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parmigiano reggiano, for sprinkling
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zest and juice from one lemon, for sprinkling
Directions
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In a small bowl, mix the goat cheese, mustard seed, rosemary, chile flakes, and garlic. Stuff the olives with the cheese mixture (I like to use my fingers, but you could also use a piping bag if you're really classy). Put the stuffed olives on a plate and refrigerate for 20 minutes, to let the cheese firm up.
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While the olives are chilling, heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan to 375 degrees.
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Set up three plates for your breading station. Put the flour on one plate, the beaten egg on the next, and mix the bread crumbs and cheese on the last plate.
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When the olives have chilled, roll half of them in the flour, then in the egg, then in the bread crumbs and carefully drop them into the heated oil. Fry until golden brown, about one minute per side. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain, and repeat with the remaining olives.
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Pile on a plate and finish with a shower of freshly grated cheese and lemon zest and a spritz of lemon.
I have always loved food. My favorite books as a kid always featured food (eg. The Berenstain Bears Get the Gimmies- so much candy!) and I loved cooking shows like Yan Can Cook and The Frugal Gourmet. I started cooking the Thanksgiving dinner for my family when I was 13 years old. I have food52 to thank for inspiring me to come up with my own recipes, as well as for introducing me to a community of fantastic cooks and their amazing recipes. I try my best to cook locally and seasonally, and I tend to prefer straightforward, simple recipes where the ingredients get to shine. I live in wonderful Austin, Texas with my husband, Andy (a video game programmer) and my son, Henry (an 8-month-old who loves to eat).
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