Confit Garlic and Tomatoes
During this late summer season, tomatoes are at their best. Confit is cooking slowly in oil. This method slowly cooks the garlic and tomatoes allowing them to just preserve their shape while intensifying their flavors. This is more a method than a recipe. It is so easy and you can store the result in the fridge for months as long as the tomatoes and garlic are topped with a good layer of oil. Enjoy the confit tomatoes alone, on bread, in pasta or use as a super ingredient in a multitude of recipes where you would use tomatoes of tomato sauce.
Ingredients:
2 lbs tomatoes (Cherry, grape or roma work well.)
2 bulbs of garlic
Large bunch of Thyme
1 tsp kosher salt
2-3 cups of olive oil (Depending on the pot you use.)
Dutch oven or oven safe pot with lid.
Recipe:
Preheat the oven to 250 F. Wash and prep the tomatoes. I like to remove the green stems and if you are using larger tomatoes, chop them into larger bite sized chunks. Separate and peel all the garlic cloves.
Add the tomatoes, garlic cloves, salt and large bunch of thyme into a dutch oven or over safe pot. Then cover with enough olive oil so that all the tomatoes are just covered.
Cover the pot and place on center rack of the oven for 2 hours.
Remove pot after 2 hours and allow to cool for around 30 minutes to an hour. Remove the thyme bunch before decanting the tomatoes and garlic into jars. Make sure that there is about 1 inch or 2 cm of oil covering all the tomatoes and garlic in each jar to ensure that the tomatoes and garlic are preserved and will not mold or spoil. Store in the fridge.
These will store in the fridge for several months but probably won’t last that long since you will want to eat them all right away! Just pull out the garlic cloves to add to salad dressings or tomatoes for pasta, topping toast or sandwiches. As long as you make sure the tomatoes and garlic are always covered by oil, they will stay preserved. Do not store at room temperature. This recipe is not for long term shelf storage. But they will keep in the fridge. If you notice any mold or off putting smell, then do not eat the tomatoes or garlic. The oil is great for cooking vegetables or salad dressings. It is infused with herbs, garlic and fresh tomatoes so save all the oil even if you don’t need it all to store the tomatoes. I just keep the oil in the fridge as well and use it for frying vegetables or eggs. It just adds another layer of flavor into anything you are cooking. The garlic will be mild enough to eat or spread on toast or bread and the tomatoes will maintain a fresh and bold tomato flavor. Look out for more recipes on how to use your confit tomatoes.
