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- 12 red chillies
- 2 tomatoes, preferably plum
- 4 spring onions
- 125 (4oz) pitted black olives
- 2 x 420 cans chickpeas
- 2 garlic cloves
- 60 (4 level tbsp) chopped, fresh flat-leafed parsley
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 6 hard-boiled eggs
- 1 egg, beaten
- 75 (3oz) fine fresh white breadcrumbs
- Oil for deep-frying
- Aïoli Mayonnaise to serve
- Step 1
De-seed and finely chop the chillies and the tomatoes.
- Step 2
Roughly chop the spring onions and black olives. Place the drained chickpeas in a food processor with the crushed garlic and process for 1min or until roughly chopped.
- Step 3
Turn the mixture into a bowl and add the chopped chillies, tomatoes, spring onions, olives and parsley. Season and mix together well.
- Step 4
Divide the mixture into six equal portions. Form each into a flat cake and shape it round the shelled, hard-boiled eggs, making it as even as possible (see tip). Brush with beaten egg and roll in breadcrumbs. Chill, uncovered, for up to 4hr or overnight.
- Step 5
Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer or large saucepan to 160°C (325°F) or until a cube of bread begins to sizzle, then gently lower each egg into the oil and fry for 7-8min or until golden brown. Remove and drain thoroughly on absor- bent paper.
- Step 6
Serve hot with Aïoli Mayonnaise.
Prepare ahead: Complete the recipe to the end of step 4 up to one day ahead.
To use: Complete recipe.
We've got lots of vegetarian picnic recipes for you to prepare on a sunny day:
Picnic pizza bread
Feta and mint couscous salad
Cheese and onion tart
Speedy cheese straws
Making the chickpea mixture
Make sure the shelled eggs are dry as this will allow the chickpea mixture to stick more easily.
The chickpea mixture may seem too crumbly, but keep squeezing and pressing the mixture well around the egg and it will stick.
Per Serving:

The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time