How you can make tomato and garlic confit
In case you have the posh — I imply, the issue — of too many end-of-season tomatoes, then this confit is for you.
Confit is an historic type of preservation during which perishable meals is slowly cooked at a low temperature in fats after which saved in fats. It was (and is) an environment friendly and secure technique to cook dinner and retailer meat and fish that may in any other case perish. The time period “confit” additionally applies to preserving fruit and veggies, which can be slowly cooked in oil or a sugar syrup — a way that yields jams, chutneys and candied fruit.
This end-of-summer confit is a wealthy, vibrant and buttery mix of tomatoes and garlic. The important thing to the recipe is its simplicity of elements and the sluggish cooking time, which permits the tomatoes to cut back to a juicy sludge and a complete head of garlic to break down and soften right into a buttery paste. Your reward is a savory jam with myriad makes use of.
Smear the confit on crostini, spoon a dollop right into a bowl of pasta, use as a pizza sauce, or dilute it with cream for a silky, wealthy soup.
Regardless of the use, will probably be a heat and sunny reminiscence of summer time’s tomato bounty.
Tomato and Garlic Confit
Yield: Makes about 2 cups
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 giant garlic head
- Additional-virgin olive oil
- 2 kilos cherry or heirloom tomatoes
- 2 sprigs contemporary thyme or marjoram
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to style
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly floor black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
1. Warmth the oven to 400 levels.
2. To roast the garlic, slice off the highest of the pinnacle, about 1/4 inch. Place on a chunk of foil, minimize aspect up, and drizzle with about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Wrap the foil up over the garlic and crimp to seal. Place in a small baking pan or on a baking sheet. Roast within the oven till the cloves are very gentle, 45 minutes to 1 hour, relying on the scale of the bulb. Take away the garlic and funky to the contact. Squeeze out the garlic cloves onto a piece floor and mash to type a paste.
3. Whereas the garlic roasts, cook dinner the tomatoes: Mix the tomatoes and 1/3 cup oil in a big saucepan. Prepare dinner over medium warmth till the tomatoes start to interrupt down, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often with a wood spoon.
4. Add the herb sprigs and proceed to cook dinner over medium-low warmth till all of the tomatoes have damaged down and the sauce thickens, 30 to 40 minutes extra, stirring often whereas breaking apart the tomatoes with the wood spoon.
5. Stir within the garlic, salt and pepper and simmer for two to three minutes to meld the flavors. Style for seasoning.
6. Take away from the warmth and funky to room temperature. The confit could also be saved in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 1 week or within the freezer for as much as 6 months.
Lynda Balslev is an award-winning author, cookbook creator and recipe developer, and authors the weblog TasteFood, Extra recipes could be discovered at chicago.suntimes.com/style.
