Cooking With Chef Hermann: Sausage Stuffed Fried Olives

Sausage Stuffed Fried Olives

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 lb. Italian pork sausage
• ½ C Parmesan cheeses
• ¼ C Romano cheeses
• 1 large egg beaten
•  ½ C Breadcrumbs
• ½ C milk
• ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
• ½ tsp oregano
• 8 oz. pitted Queen olives
• 1 C flour
• Egg wash (about 4 eggs beaten with water)
• Canola oil for frying

Directions:

Stir together the milk and ½ C of the breadcrumbs.  Let the mixture soak about 5 minutes.  In a bowl, mix together the sausage, cheeses, crushed red pepper, oregano and egg.  Add the milk-breadcrumb mixture to the meat mixture and mix together well.  Press about 2 TB of the mixture into and all over a olive, pressing to enclose it. Repeat with the remaining mix.

Pour oil to a 4 inch depth in pan and heat to 350F. Working in batches, roll the ball into the flour then into the egg wash then into the breadcrumbs.  Cook the olive balls until they float.  Remove with a slotted spoon and let rest on paper towel to drain excess oil.