Italian scotch olives Recipe – Italian Special
Transforming olives with the scotch egg treatment involves coating them in sausage meat and breadcrumbs before frying, creating a delightful starter or snack to accompany drinks. This recipe, from the Italian restaurant Luca, is served with confit garlic mayo and crispy sage leaves.
- Prep Time45 min
- Cook Time20 min
- Total Time1 hr 5 min
Italian scotch olives Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- ½ teaspoon chopped thyme
- ½ teaspoon chopped sage
- 100ml red wine
- 300g sausagemeat
- Gordal olives, pitted and patted dry
- 150g seasoned plain flour
- 6 egg yolks, whisked with 3 tablespoons of milk
- 200g panko breadcrumbs
- Vegetable oil for deep-frying
How to Make Italian scotch olives
Heat olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the onion over medium heat for 5 minutes until just softened. Add garlic and fennel seeds, and cook for another 3 minutes. Stir in the herbs and red wine, reducing until it forms a glaze. Spread the mixture onto a large plate and allow it to cool for a few minutes.
In a mixing bowl, combine sausagemeat with the cooled onion mixture, seasoning with a pinch of salt and pepper. Divide the mixture into 10 balls, each approximately 25g in size (similar to a quail’s egg)
Take a pitted olive and wrap it completely with the sausagemeat mixture, resembling a scotch egg. Roll each “scotch olive” in seasoned flour on a plate or shallow bowl, ensuring even coating. Dip each one in the whisked egg yolk mixture, allowing excess to drip off, then coat thoroughly in breadcrumbs. Place on a plate in preparation for frying.
Heat vegetable oil in a pan, filling it no more than one-third full, until it reaches 190°C (or a cube of bread browns in 25 seconds). Fry the scotch olives in batches for 3-4 minutes until deeply golden and crispy, ensuring the meat is cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve with mayonnaise, if desired.
