Olives Stuffed with Tuna (Maltese Zebbug Mimli)

Maltese stuffed olives called zebbug mimli are a lovely little snack or appetizer. These stuffed green olives can be found at nearly every festive occasion. They can be served by themselves or with some cheese and salami for a lovely little meze. In Malta these can be bought already stuffed but there is nothing like a little homemade touch and they are quite easy to make, the hardest part is stuffing the olives. I used a little trick, I just put the stuffing into a sandwich baggie and clipped a bit of one corner, piping the stuffing in. It worked great. We loved the stuffing which made quite a bit which we enjoyed as a spread on crackers as well.

1 large jar colossal pitted green olives
1 can tuna, packed in oil, drained
1 can anchovies, packed in olive oil, not drained
3 cloves garlic
extra-virgin olive oil

In a blender or food processor put the tuna, anchovies, and garlic on low speed. Add olive oil until you get a smooth paste.

When the stuffing mixture is done start filling the olives one by one. You can use a piping bag, a teaspoon or a sandwich baggie with a corner clipped. Any which method will do the trick.

Watch them disappear. You can use any extra filling on crackers, or bread.

Makes 24.