I write this recipe knowing that some people will immediately turn up their noses – as I found out recently on my social media comments – wow, people really don’t like olives. But, for those that are like me and love the little flavour bombs, then I am about to make your life even more delicious with my goats cheese stuffed olives (with garlic confit, of course!)
Goats cheese stuffed olives
Yet again another Mediterranean inspired dish, I really love making these as a pre-dinner party snack or a great thing to take to a picnic. I also love them because they use my breadcrumbs, so there’s no waste! It also uses my garlic confit recipe because in this house, there is no meal complete without a little confit!
Olive you!
For this dish, the specifics of the olives are quite important. It will make or break your dish. In all my recipe testing I found that green pitted olives are the best. They’re firmer, so they hold their shape. They’re also large enough to be stuffed. This is one of my only non-negotiables!
Garlic confit – of course!
This recipe also uses my garlic confit. It brings such a great dimension and depth to the recipe that goes beyond a normal stuffed olive and makes it so flavourful. I love finding new ways to use my garlic confit!
Crumbies
Breadcrumbs are one of my favourite things to experiment with. They give a crunch, a texture, a flavour that is just unbeatable. And because I love using breadcrumbs it means I’ve always got some lying around – so for this recipe I used my breadcrumbs from another recipe and they worked perfectly! I recommend always having some homemade breadcrumbs on hand in a sealed container in the cupboard – you’ll be blown away how often you’re reaching for them. Check out my crispy crumbed chicken for another way to use them!
Say cheese!
Now, I’ve been strict about the olives, so I’ll let some lawlessness in with the cheese. I have recommended goats cheese, but nothing too specific – if you like a feta then go for that. It’s all about the strong flavour and also the softness makes it really easy to work with.
Technique for goats cheese stuffed olives
Some people are a little afraid of recipes that involve frying. But, it’s just not as complicated as it looks. Just make sure you bring your oil to a hot heat or the olives will end up just soaking in the oil and not cooking in it, and no one wants a soggy breadcrumby olive – not even me!
Serving Goats cheese stuffed olives
The best way to serve this is with a wedge of lemon, or you could experiment with a dipping sauce! This would be great with a marinara or a spicy sauce. Yum!
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Goats cheese stuffed olives
Ingredients
Garlic confit
- 4 bulbs garlic
- 2 cups olive oil
Stuffed olives
- 400 g green pitted olives
- 30 g goats cheese
- 40 g pecorino romano grated
- 20 garlic confit cloves
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup white flour
- 1 egg
- Grapeseed oil for frying
- Sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Garlic Confit
- Preheat the oven to 120 degrees Celsius.
- Peel the garlic by breaking the cloves away and placing them into a heatproof bowl. Submerge in boiling hot water for 5 minutes and drain. The skin will become loose and easy to peel away.
- Place the garlic cloves into an ovenproof dish and fully submerge in olive oil. It's important the garlic is fully submerged in the olive oil so it does not burn. Bake for 1 - 2 hours or until the garlic has browned in colour.
Stuffed olives
- Place the goats cheese, pecorino romano, garlic confit and a big pinch of salt and pepper into a bowl. Bring together with a fork and combine well. This step can also be done in a food processor if you are looking for a finer filling.
- Place the stuffing into a piping bag or ziplock bag. Once the filling has been placed into the zip lock bag, cut one of the bottom edges off. Stuff the olives with the filling.
- In a shallow wide bowl, whisk together the flour with a pinch of salt and pepper and then set up your dredging station. Begin with the flour, followed by the egg that has been whisked and lastly by the breadcrumbs. Working in batches, coat the olives in the flour, then the egg and lastly the breadcrumbs.
- On a high heat in a small pot, bring the grapeseed oil to heat. You can test to see if your oil is hot enough by dropping a breadcrumb into it and seeing if it sizzles. Working in batches of 10, use a slotted spoon to slowly lower the olives into the hot oil. Cook for 5 minutes or until golden and crispy. Place onto a cooling rack.
- Serve immediately with a squeeze of lemon.
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