Blue cheese stuffed olives are the reason I stopped paying jar prices at the store. A handful makes the briny, funky bite that turns a martini dirty and a cheese board interesting, and at about 1 gram of net carb per serving they are a Low Carb snack I keep a jar of in the fridge. You stuff them once and they are ready whenever you are.
Well my almond stuffed olives turned out so tasty, I decided that I should try more. Today I chose to stuff my green olives with a nice firm blue cheese. Simply follow the same idea as before, but stuff the olives with small slices of blue cheese instead. These are perfect for a drink garnishment or a nice afternoon snack.
Pick a big olive and a firm blue cheese
Two things make or break these:
- The olive. Use big ones, large Queen or Cerignola, pitted so you have a real pocket to fill.
- The cheese. Reach for a firm wedge you can slice into strips, like Roquefort, Stilton, or Gorgonzola. Skip the soft cream-cheese-and-blue blends most recipes pipe in, since a firm strip is what lets these sit in a jar for days without turning to paste.
Slice the cheese a little smaller than the opening and press it in so it tucks below the rim.
Stuff once, keep a jar in the fridge
This is the part the fancy versions miss. Once the olives are stuffed, pour off about half the reserved brine, top the jar with olive oil, and slip in a few peeled garlic cloves. The olives sit in that salty, garlicky marinade and pick up flavor over the next day or two. They keep in the fridge for up to about 2 weeks as long as you keep them cold and submerged, since the salt and the acid in the brine slow bacteria down. Pull the jar out whenever you want a snack or a cocktail garnish, with no last-minute piping.
Blue cheese stuffed olives for a Low Carb martini
A jar of these earns its shelf space. At about 1 gram of net carb for five olives, they are one of the easier Low Carb snacks to keep around, and they turn a plain martini into a dirty one or dress up a bloody mary. Two or three on a pick, with a splash of the brine in the glass, give you the garnish that runs six or seven dollars a jar at the store for a fraction of the price. They also hold their own on a cheese board next to black olive dip or a few salami and mozzarella skewers, with more Low Carb appetizers where those came from.
Sources:
USDA FoodData Central, nutrient reference for green olives and blue cheese
National Center for Home Food Preservation, refrigerated storage guidance for garlic in oil
Sugarfreechic test kitchen, marinated stuffed-olive notes
