Confit Tomato Girl Summer
How to make ‘em and how to use ‘em
I, like everyone and their mother, am trying to make the most out of tomato season. Tomato toast! Tomato salad! Tomato tarts! Tomatoes, tomatoes, TOMATOES! They are so bright, so ripe, so juicy, so delicious. I slice a big one up to put on a sandwich, pop a lil’ guy into my mouth, and think how lucky we are to experience peak-season goodness.
In my tomato frenzy, I usually black out at the market only to find myself at home, in my kitchen, unloading tomato after tomato after tomato, of all sizes and shapes and varieties. So, what’s a gal to do when she has too many ‘maters? The answer is in French: confit.
Confit tomatoes are one of my favorite ways to use up tomatoes that have perhaps seen better days, but it’s also just one of my favorite ways to enjoy the fruit year-round. This technique, which essentially just involves cooking something in a bath of olive oil at low heat for a long time, can make out-of-season duds taste like a million bucks. And when the tomatoes are in season? The results are out of this world.
In honor of said season, this week I’m bringing you my recipe for confit tomatoes as well as five ways to use them. Cook one or cook them all, and let me know what your favorite way is to eat confit tomatoes. Like I said, I just can’t get enough.
Confit Tomatoes
My method for confit tomatoes is not ground-breaking and is not unlike most others. It involves the tomatoes of your choosing (I always like confiting the small tomato varieties, though I have seen others use larger ones with excellent results), a very generous amount of olive oil, garlic, thyme, salt, and – my special addition – Aleppo pepper. You can have fun here though, and add in any aromatics that tickle your fancy, other herbs, spicy peppers – whatever you want.
Add your tomatoes to an oven-safe dish, pour over a very healthy amount of olive oil, add your salt and aromatics, and bake at 250 for 2-4 hours, depending on how many tomatoes you’re working with. I made a big batch using 4 pints and 1 cup of olive oil, and it took just over three hours for all of the tomatoes to get soft and tender, with just a few starting to deflate.
Spaghetti with Confit Tomatoes
This recipe can easily be scaled up and is a cinch for a dinner party because most of the cooking can take place ahead of time. Just as perfect for a weeknight meal for the same reason.
8 oz of spaghetti or your favorite pasta shape
About 1 cup of confit tomatoes
Parmesan and basil for serving
Cook pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, heat up your tomatoes in a pan, add the cooked pasta along with pasta water, and cook until melded together. Garnish with basil and parmesan.
Pearl Couscous Salad
I feel like not enough people make salads using pearl couscous. It’s basically just tiny pasta balls, and who doesn’t love a pasta salad? This one can be kept in the fridge for a few days for an easy lunch or side dish. If you’re planning to make it ahead, you can add in the arugula just before serving to prevent wilting.
For couscous:
2 tbs olive oil
1 cup pearl couscous
1.5 cups chicken or veggie broth, or water
Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the couscous and toast for a few minutes until it gets nice and golden. Add in the broth, bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cover and cook until all liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
For the salad:
½ cup thinly sliced red onion
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp sumac
½ tsp honey
2 tbs vinegar
1 ½ cups sliced radicchio
2 cups arugula
⅓ cup thinly slice cornichons
¼ cup chiffonaded mint
⅓ cup feta
1 cup confit tomatoes
Juice of half a lemon
Olive ol
Add onion, sea salt, sumac, honey, and vinegar to a bowl, mix, and let sit for 15 or so minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and a generous drizzle of olive oil and mix. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Confit Caprese
A Caprese is one of the best sandwiches, and the confit tomatoes take it to a whole other level! I like to add olive tapenade as well for an extra briny, salty kick.
Baguette
Mozzarella
Olive tapenade
Fresh basil
Confit tomatoes
Salmon Tacos
These tacos are inspired by a dish I had at a restaurant in Pasadena a few years ago, which no longer exists and whose name I don’t remember. What I do remember is I was unimpressed by the menu, I reluctantly ordered the salmon tacos because they sounded like the most exciting choice, and they blew my mind when I ate them. I’ve been making a version ever since. I think you can swap out the salmon for another fish, like cod, make them vegetarian with beans, or go for chicken or steak – so many options!
½ a red onion, thinly sliced
⅓ cup vinegar
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp sea salt
1 peeled garlic clove
Jalapeno slices, optional
4 flour tortillas
1 salmon filet, about ½ pound
Garlic powder, cumin, paprika
Arugula
Sliced avocado
Confit tomatoes
Chopped cilantro
Lime wedges for serving
To make the quick pickled onions, bring the vinegar, sugar, salt, and ⅓ cup water to a simmer over low heat. Pour over the onions, garlic, and jalapeno in a jar, and let rest for at least 30 minutes.
Season the salmon on both sides with garlic powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a pan over medium heat and cook the salmon to desired doneness (I like mine just shy of well done).
Cut the salmon into 4 pieces. Add each to a tortilla along with toppings. Serve with lime wedges.
Zucchini Fritters with Garlic Yogurt
I love a zucchini fritter, and these are extra good because I just so happened to be out of flour when I made them so I subbed in Birch Benders pancake mix, which gave them a hint of sweetness almost like funnel cake.
For the fritters:
2 cups shredded zucchini
3 thinly sliced green onions
1 egg
⅓ cup pancake mix
¼ cup feta cheese
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tbs aleppo pepper
Salt
Olive oil for frying
Put zucchini in a strainer lined with cheesecloth or a thin kitchen towel, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt, and let sit for 5 minutes. Wrapping the zucchini in the cloth, squeeze out all of the liquid.
Mix the drained zucchini with the rest of the ingredients. You want the batter to be thick like pancake batter – if it seems a little runny, add a tablespoon more pancake mix at a time.
Heat about ½ an inch of oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add a small amount of the batter to cook to test for salt. Adjust if needed. Fry medium sized scoops of the batter in oil for a few minutes on each side until golden brown. (It took about 4 minutes per side for me). This makes 8 fritters.
For the garlic yogurt:
1 garlic clove
1 tsp salt
1 cup greek yogurt
Add garlic and salt to a mortar and pestle and pound until it forms a paste. Stir in yogurt. Add more salt if needed.
Top fritters with garlic yogurt and confit tomatoes.