After an afternoon of beagling with the Ardrossan Beagles we end with a tea. While tea is served there is also food and libations.

At a recent joint hunt with the Tewksbury Foot Bassets from Bedminster, New Jersey, I signed up to bring ‘stuffed olives’ for the tea. The easy way out would have been to buy a jar of pimento stuffed olives and transfer them to a bowl or plate. But I saw this as an opportunity to make a simple hors d’oeuvre. 

Blue cheese is one of my favorite cheeses and it makes a perfect filing for an olive. To get it to the right consistency for piping into the olive it is best mixed with cream cheese. For this recipe I used mild crumbled Gorgonzola but any blue cheese will work – mild or intense. Mix it in a food processor to ensure it’s smooth. Then transfer it to a pastry bag or sturdy plastic bag (such as a ziplock bag) and pipe it into each olive. 

I used pitted gigante green olives packed in oil from the cheese and antipasto section at Wegmans. You could also use Mezzetta’s Pitted Italian Castelvetrano Olives (packed in water – also available at Wegmans) or any other large green pitted olive. While I have pitted many olives, I would recommend not doing this yourself as the olives may not keep their shape (at least that’s been my experience). Before stuffing the olives, be sure to drain them in a colander. 

I served these olives as part of the spread for our post-beagling tea, they would also be a great garnish to a gin or vodka martini. These would be a great addition to a bar at a holiday gathering or a lovely host gift as well.

Want to learn more about beagling? Check out my Boursin Stuffed Red Peppers post.

Gorgonzola Stuffed Olives

 

Gorgonzola Stuffed Olives
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Recipe type: Appetizer
Author:
Serves: 30 olives
Ingredients
  • 30 large green olives, pitted
  • 2 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola (or other blue cheese)
  • 1-1/2 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 teaspoon snipped fresh chives
Instructions
  1. Drain olives in a small colander and set aside.
  2. In the bowl of a small food processor, mix Gorgonzola and cream cheese until smooth. Scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  3. Add chives and pulse a few times until mixed.
  4. Transfer the cheese mixture to a pastry bag or ziplock bag. Snip off the end – start small and cut more if the cheese isn’t easily coming out.
  5. Pipe cheese into each olive.
  6. Serve immediately or refrigerate, covered, for up to a day.
Notes
* While I have pitted many olives, I would recommend not doing this yourself as the olives may not keep their shape (at least that’s been my experience).
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