In the Italian tradition of stuzzichini, I don’t like to put out so many appetizers that my guests will ruin their appetites, but two things that I must serve whenever I entertain are roasted olives and toasted almonds tossed with olive oil and sea salt. These olives, which are tossed with citrus zest and garlic confit, are as beautiful as they are delicious. If we get an unusual olive variety, we might throw that in, but normally the combination we use is Lucques, Castelvetrano, Taggiasche, and Picholine. You can use whatever combination of olives you want or have access to, as long as they’re not the canned pitted things I grew up with. Also, keep in mind that it’s ideal to have a variety of colors and sizes. You can prepare the olives up to a month in advance. Keep them in the refrigerator and roast them just before serving. If you are preparing them in advance, however, omit the garlic confit and garlic oil, as they will cause the olives to spoil more quickly. Prepare the olives with only the regular olive oil, and add the garlic and garlic oil up to several days before you are ready to roast them.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 1 quart of olives
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Combine the olives in a large bowl. Add the olive oil, orange rind, lemon rind, bay leaves, and rosemary. Add the Garlic Confit, including the chiles, and toss to combine.
Step 2
Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 500°F.
Step 3
Transfer the olives to a large shallow baking dish or several small shallow baking dishes. Place the baking dish on a baking sheet to catch any oil that bubbles over, and place the olives in the oven until the oil is sizzling and the olives are light golden brown on top, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the olives from the oven and drizzle the balsamic vinegar over them while they’re still hot. Serve warm.
Suggested Wine Pairing
Step 4
Lambrusco Bianco I.G.T. (Emilia-Romagna)
