Chorizo Stuffed Fried Olives Recipes

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.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• For the potatoes: Mix the spices in a small bowl. Wash and dry the potatoes. Poke several times around each potato with a fork. Rub evenly with the olive oil and sprinkle evenly with the spice mixture. Place on a baking pan and bake until cooked through and the skin is crispy, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from oven, halve and, with a small spoon, scoop out the potato, leaving about 1/8-inch of flesh in the skin. Reserve the skins and chop the potato flesh.
• For the filling: In a saute pan over medium-high heat, add the canola oil. When hot, add the chorizo and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the onions and saute for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the red bell peppers, olives and garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. Deglaze the pan with the tequila, cooking until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro and reserved potato flesh to combine.
• Place the potato skins in a pie pan or similar baking dish, nesting them against each other. Fill each half with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the chorizo mixture, top with the cheese and return to the oven. Cook until cheese is starting to melt and they are heated through, 5 to 6 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot.

Steps:

• Remove the sausage meat from the casing and place it in a medium bowl. Add the garlic, a pinch of salt, and red pepper flakes, if using. Mix to evenly distribute the ingredients. Drain the olives and rinse them under cold water. Remove the pimentos, if necessary. Stuff each of the olives with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of the sausage mixture.
• Heat the oil in a deep fryer, or stock pot, to 375 degrees F.
• Spread the flour on a dinner plate.
• Break the eggs into a shallow bowl and beat lightly.
• Spread the bread crumbs on another dinner plate and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Moisten the olives with the olive oil, stirring to evenly distribute the oil and seasoning.
• Roll the olives in the flour, coating them all over and shaking off the excess. Then dip them in the egg, letting any excess drip back into the bowl. Finally, coat the olives all over with the bread crumbs. As each olive is coated, place it on a tray. Cover the olives and refrigerate until you are ready to fry them.
• Fry the olives until golden brown and the sausage in the middle is cooked through, about 3 minutes. The olives will bubble vigorously until they are nearly done, so watch for splatters. Drain on paper towels to absorb any excess oil. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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.