Olives Al Forno

My second try from the wonderful Mozza cookbook - thanks Siobhan! - was olives al forno. They're great! Something about having the olives warm and roasted and soft makes them totally different and really tasty hors d'oeuvres. And oh my gosh, the garlic confit is amaaazing. Yum!

Ingredients:
4 cups mixed, unpitted olives (I used a mix of picholine, nicoise, and kalamata)
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Wide zest strips of 1 lemon and 1 orange
4 dried bay leaves
1/2 cup fresh rosemary needles
garlic confit (recipe below)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Combine olives in a large bowl. Add the olive oil, orange rind, lemon rind, bay leaves, and rosemary. Add the garlic confit, including the chilis, and toss to combine.

Preheat the oven to 500. Transfer the olives to a large shallow baking dish and bake about 10 minutes until they're sizzling and warm and a little brown on top. Serve warm.

Garlic Confit
Ingredients:
1 cup garlic cloves
3 dried whole arbol chiles
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Combine the garlic, chiles, and oil in a small sauce pan. Add enough oil to come three-fourths of the way up the sides of the garlic.

Heat the oil over high heat until it just starts to bubble. Reduce the heat and simmer the garlic until it is just a deep golden brown. Be careful not to overcook them or burn them. Let it cool to room temperature. (If you're not using it right away, put it in a container with enough more olive oil to cover the garlic completely.)