BEER BATTERED FRIED OLIVES with CUMIN YOGURT SAUCE

Ilove olives. Pitted or not,they appeal to me. It reminds me a lot of Uppumanga that we would make at home in Kannur. When Mezzetta sent me a big box of goodies last week,I was so thrilled that I wanted to try something new with it,than the usual tapanade or dip. I decided to fry it using a simple light batter and pair it with a delicious dipping sauce. The batter has a secret ingredient in it,which you would have already guessed from the name of this post,a beer.

If you don't want to add beer, you can substitute it with club soda. The beer/soda will give make the batter super light and gives the end product a very nice crispness. You can use this batter to fry other things like shrimp,fish etc. Don't you just love anything deep fried with a crisp coating? This is just like that!

Mezzetta is family owned since 1935. They source the finest fresh produce from the sun-drenched soils of California, Italy,Spain, France, and Greece and prepare them according to their Italian family recipes  at their state-of-the-art production facility in Napa Valley.

You will have to select olives that were already pitted for this recipe. It's makes everything a lot easier.The original recipe called for dipping the olives into the batter and frying it. I added a twist to it. After I pulled them out of the oil, I let them drain for a few seconds and then dipped them once again into the batter and fried them till golden. That step gave my olives a lovely coating and made it extra special. I would suggest that you use regular olives. If you are using olives in oil, make sure you wipe it out completely as the oil would prevent the batter from clinging to it.

BEER BATTERED FRIED OLIVES with CUMIN YOGURT SAUCE

Ingredients:
For the olives:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
12 oz beer of your choice
2 cups of pitted olives
Oil

Cumin Yogurt Sauce:
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
a squirt of lemon juice
salt and pepper

Method:
Olives: Heat oil in a sauce pan for deep frying. In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients together and fry the olives one by one until golden. Do a double fry if you'd like that. I did it and it was wonderful!
Sauce: Mix all the ingredients together and serve alongside the fried olives.

Do not miss out on the Holiday Memories Sweepstakes that's being  hosted here!

• Grand Prize (1) - Instant Print Digital Camera plus a Ultimate Olive Lover’s Gift Basket including Mezzetta Olives, Olive Spoon, Cutting Board, Olive Bowl, Cocktail Napkins and Recipe Card.

• Runner Up Prizes (10) - Ultimate Olive Lover’s Gift Basket including Mezzetta Olives, Olive Spoon, Cutting Board, Olive Bowl, Cocktail Napkins and Recipe Card. 

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Expires: December 31

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Winner will be notified and will receive prize within 2 weeks