Fried Green Olives With Caper-Anchovy Stuffing
appetizers, fried
CAPER-ANCHOVY STUFFED OLIVES:
20 large green olives; pitted
2 teaspoons drained capers
4 anchovies; minced
2 teaspoons ground almonds or pine nuts
1 large clove garlic; minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Ground black pepper
WHIPPED EGG WHITE BATTER:
3/4 cup white flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 egg white; whipped to soft peak
2 quarts olive oil; for frying
TO PREPARE: For the olives, soak olives in 3 cups cold water for 20 minutes, changing water after 10 minutes. Drain olives and pat them dry.
Meanwhile, mix next 7 ingredients plus 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl to make the filling. Use a small knife with a sharp point to stuff each soaked olive with about 1/4 teaspoon of this filling.
For the batter, mix first 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Stir in milk, oil, and 1/3 cup water. Fold in whipped egg whites.
TO COOK: Heat oven to 200°F. Heat oil in a Dutch oven or electric deep fryer to 365°F. Dip each stuffed olive into the batter just before placing in in the hot oil. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, fry olives until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Drain olives on paper towels; transfer to a heatproof platter and keep them warm in the oven until ready to serve. (Can be kept warm up to 1/2 hour.)
Serves: 5 to 10
NOTES : A concentrated savory appetizer with sweet spices.
The caper-anchovy stuffing intensifies the pungency of these olives, but you can omit it and fry green olives that you purchase already stuffed with almonds, onions, or pimientos. To leach salt from the brined olives, soak them in water for at least 20 minutes. 0 0 2478 0 20094 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Contributor: April 1990
Yield: 10 servings
Preparation Time: 0:45
