Olive all’ascolana in the air fryer are one of Italy’s best-loved snacks, made without deep-frying: large green olives cut free from the pit in one spiral and wrapped around a seasoned filling of beef and pork with Parmesan and nutmeg, then breaded and baked until golden and crisp. The dish comes from the town of Ascoli Piceno in the Marche region, where it is called olive all’ascolana and belongs on every aperitivo table.
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Traditionally they are deep-fried, but in the air fryer they get a lovely, crisp crust with just two tablespoons of olive oil brushed on. You avoid the pot of hot oil and the smell in the kitchen, and you can get most of it ready long before the guests ring the doorbell. It takes a little patience to fill the olives, but the result is a small bite that disappears from the platter in a moment.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Why I love olive all’ascolana in the air fryer
What makes olive all’ascolana so hard to resist is the contrast: a crisp shell of breadcrumbs, a firm, salty olive and, right in the middle, a soft, seasoned filling with Parmesan, lemon zest and freshly grated nutmeg. In the air fryer you get all three layers, without the little balls soaking up oil. The hot air hits the breading from all sides, and because only a thin layer of olive oil is brushed on, they taste more of olives and meat than of deep-frying.
The difference between the air fryer and deep-frying
In a deep fryer the olives sit completely covered in hot oil, which browns the crust from all sides at once. In the air fryer it is the brushing that does the work: the oil has to go all the way around each olive, because it is the oil that browns the breadcrumbs and makes them crisp. The crust ends up slightly lighter than the deep-fried one, but in return you are not left with a pot of used oil afterwards.
My kitchen test of olive all’ascolana
I tested olive all’ascolana in my Cosori Dual Blaze at 200 °C, and 10 minutes with one turn after 5 minutes is what it takes. The heating elements at both the top and the bottom give an even, golden-brown finish, but I still turn the olives gently with tongs halfway through so the breadcrumbs get crisp all the way around. The meat is fully cooked in the pan before it is blended into the filling, so the time in the air fryer is spent heating the filling through and crisping up the breading.
Allow 75 minutes in total: 35 minutes of preparation, 20 minutes of cooling the meat mixture and 20 minutes of cooking, of which only 10 take place in the air fryer. The 24 olives need to sit in a single layer with a little space between them, so if you have a smaller air fryer, bake them in two batches. I always taste an olive first: if they are very salty, they get 10 minutes in cold water and are patted dry afterwards.
Cut the olives into a spiral while the meat filling cools. If a spiral breaks, just lay the pieces around the filling and press firmly – the breading holds it all together again.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
The first mistake is wet olives. If there is brine on them, neither filling nor breading will stick properly, so pat them completely dry with paper towel before you cut. The second is blending the meat while it is still warm. Then the filling becomes soft and hard to shape, which is why the meat mixture needs to cool for 20 minutes on a plate first. The third is skimping on the oil or packing the basket too tightly. Without oil all the way around, the breadcrumbs turn pale and dry, and if the olives lie on top of each other, they go soft where they touch. Brush thoroughly, give them air, and turn them after 5 minutes.
How to serve olive all’ascolana
Olive all’ascolana should be eaten warm, while the crust is still crunchy. The recipe makes 24 pieces, about 6 per person, and they are ideal as an aperitivo together with:
- Lemon wedges to squeeze over just before serving
- A glass of cold white wine or a spritz
- Air-dried ham and a couple of good cheeses
- Crisp grissini or some good bread
Storage and reheating
Baked olive all’ascolana can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days in an airtight container. Reheat them in the air fryer at 180 °C for 3-5 minutes, until they are crisp again. If you want to prepare them ahead, the breaded, unbaked olives can stand covered in the fridge for up to a day, or you can freeze them unbaked for up to 3 months. Freeze them without oil, brush them just before baking, and bake them straight from frozen with 3-4 minutes added to the baking time.
Making olive all’ascolana in the air fryer is a bit of a labour of love, but most of it can be done ahead, and the baking itself is over quickly. Put a platter on the table with lemon alongside and see how quickly it empties.
FAQ
Choose the largest green olives with pits that you can find, for example Gordal or Bella di Cerignola. They are the easiest to cut into a spiral and leave room for the filling.
Yes. Take large pitted olives, cut them open on one side and close them around the filling. It makes the job easier than cutting spirals.
Recipe
Olive all’ascolana in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Cost of the dish
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Airfryer size
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Chefs knife
- 1 Small knife
- 1 Frying pan
- 1 Plate
- 1 Fine grater
- 1 Food processor
- 1 Paper towel
- 3 Small bowls
- 1 Brush
- 1 Tongs
Shopping list
Ingredients
- 24 pcs green olives (Large, with pits – e.g. Gordal or Bella di Cerignola)
Filling
- 1 pcs shallot
- 1 pcs carrot (Small)
- 1 pcs celery stalk (Small)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 100 g minced beef (8-12% fat)
- 100 g minced pork (8-12% fat)
- 0.5 dl white wine (Dry)
- 0.25 tsp salt
- 1 pinch pepper (Freshly ground)
- 30 g Parmesan
- 0.5 tsp lemon zest (Finely grated, from the lemon for serving)
- 0.25 tsp nutmeg (Freshly grated)
- 1 pcs egg
Breading
- 50 g plain flour
- 2 pcs eggs
- 100 g breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp olive oil (For brushing)
Serving
- 1 pcs lemon (Unsprayed)
How to make it
Filling
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and sauté the chopped vegetables for 3 minutes, until soft.
- Add 100 g minced beef and 100 g minced pork and brown the meat for 4 minutes, stirring and breaking it into very small pieces.
- Spread the meat mixture on a plate and let it cool for 20 minutes.
- Finely grate 30 g Parmesan while the meat cools. Also grate 0.5 tsp lemon zest and 0.25 tsp nutmeg.
- Put the cooled meat mixture in a food processor together with the Parmesan, lemon zest, nutmeg and 1 pcs egg. Blend until you have a fine, firm filling that can be shaped.
Olives
- Pat 24 pcs green olives completely dry with paper towel.
- Cut each olive free from its pit in one long spiral with a small, sharp knife: Start at the stem end and turn the olive around, keeping the knife against the pit all the way, just like when you peel an apple.
- Shape a heaped teaspoon of filling into a small oval ball and wrap an olive spiral around it so that it looks like a whole olive again. Press it lightly together in your hand and repeat until all 24 olives are filled.
Breading
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 200 °C fan.
- Brush the breaded olives all over with 2 tbsp olive oil.
- Place the olives in the air fryer basket in a single layer with a little space between them.
- Bake them at 200 °C for 10 minutes, until golden and crisp. Turn them gently with tongs after 5 minutes.
Serving
- Cut 1 pcs lemon into wedges and serve the olives warm with the lemon wedges to squeeze over.
Our notes for the recipe
Choose the largest green olives with pits that you can find. They are the easiest to cut into a spiral and leave room for the filling. Taste one olive first: if the olives are very salty, they can soak in cold water for 10 minutes before you pat them dry. Use the cooling time to pit the olives. If a spiral breaks along the way, simply press the pieces firmly around the filling – the breading holds everything together. Brush the oil all the way around, because it is the oil that gives a golden, crisp crust without deep-frying. Variation:
Traditionally, olive all’ascolana are deep-fried in oil, but in the air fryer they become crisp with far less fat. If you want to make the job easier, you can use large pitted olives, cut them open on one side and close them around the filling. The white wine can be replaced with the same amount of stock. Serving:
Serve the olives warm as an aperitivo with lemon wedges to squeeze over, preferably with a glass of cold white wine or a spritz and some air-dried ham and cheese. Portion size:
The recipe makes 24 stuffed olives, so about 6 per person. If your air fryer is smaller, you can make the dish in two batches. Prepare ahead:
The breaded, unbaked olives can stand covered in the fridge for up to a day. You can also freeze them without oil: Brush them just before baking, bake them straight from frozen, and add 3-4 minutes to the baking time.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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