Ameilia's Italian Stuffed Olives

An Italian side dish of colossal green olives stuffed with pork and chicken. You won't find these in Italian restaurants because they are labor intensive, but well worth it for special occasions. A family favorite - requirement actually - for a real Italian Christmas dinner.

• Preparation Time: 60 mins
• Cooking Time: 2 hr
• Total Time: 3 hr
• Calories: 226 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup water
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can tomato puree
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 stalk celery, minced
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste
• ½ medium onion, minced
• flour for dredging
• vegetable oil for deep frying
• bread crumbs
• 2 thick cut bone-in pork chops
• 1 whole skinless, bone-in chicken breast
• 3 (8 ounce) jars colossal green olives, with pits
• 3 eggs, divided and beaten

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Step 2

Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Cook and stir celery, onion, and garlic in hot oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add pork and chicken and cook for 7 to 10 minutes. Combine tomato puree and tomato paste with 1 cup water, and add to meat mixture. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours, or until pork and chicken are falling off the bone. Remove meat from the pot to cool, and set sauce aside.

Step 3

Meanwhile, remove olive pits using a special olive pitting tool. Make a slit in one side of each olive large enough to insert stuffing.

Step 4

Once cooled, remove pork and chicken meat from the bones, and mince. Mix together with 2 beaten eggs, Parmesan cheese, ground nutmeg, lemon zest, and 1/4 cup of reserved sauce. Use more or less sauce as needed so that meat mixture is moist, but not too wet.

Step 5

Fill each olive with enough stuffing so that a small amount is pushing out of the slit. Dip each stuffed olive in flour, then beaten egg, then bread crumbs. Stuffed olives may be frozen in an air-tight container at this point until ready to use.

Step 6

Fry olives in hot oil for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown on the outside. Serve warm.