In The Good “Ol Summer Time, When The Tomatoes Are Ripe On The Vine
If you’re like me, you wait about 10 months for the summer tomato bounty. There’s nothing in the world (for tomato lovers) better than a ripe, home grown tomato. The first few are amazing, then they start coming in so fast and furiously you just can’t eat them quickly enough. If you’re a gardener, a lucky recipient of a gardeners bounty, or you buy them in the stores, here’s a great way to cook them up in a most flavorful way. So many uses for this Summer Tomato Garlic and Herb Confit.
I like it as an appetizer bruschetta, or served just spooned over creamy ricotta, mozzarella or burrata cheese. You can even toss it with pasta for a ready made, easy weeknight dinner.
This is barely even a recipe, just a guideline for how to put it together and roast. It’s just really that easy. I love recipes that are so simple. Summer cooking should be this way. Just the best flavors of the season, done simply and most deliciously.
I Love You From My Head Tomatoes!
When I have an overload of tomatoes, I hate to let them go to waste. In addition to this quick and super easy Summer Tomato Garlic and Herb Confit, there are plenty of other ways to use your tomatoes or you can also keep them well into the winter. You don’t have to preserve or “can”. In fact, canning tomatoes is a bit more tricky than simple jams or pickles. So, I like to skip that and I make a quick and easy marinara sauce. Then, I freeze it flat in freezer bags. I mark the amount in each bag in cups, so I know how much is there when I need it.
The sauce is just seasoned enough that it’s really versatile when you want it for a particular recipe. Just defrost and you’ve got summer time sauce anytime. This is so easy, I don’t even take the skins off because, life’s too short for that kind of work. This is my most popular blog of all time. During the summer it gets hundreds of looks per day. Here’s a link to my recipe https://wp.me/p9KEfL-ZG
It’s great with ricotta cheese. Here’s a recipe for homemade ricotta cheese. Once you start making this at home, it will be your go-to recipe. Here’s a link: https://wp.me/p9KEfL-9P
Summer Tomato Garlic and Herb Confit
Preheat oven to 250º
Onto a sheet pan or roasting pan, add tomatoes. Use about 6-8 large tomatoes or 4-5 cups of cherry tomatoes. You can use any variety or mix it up with a bit of both. Cut the tomatoes in half, but keep the skin on. Remove large cores. Keep cherry tomatoes hole. To the pan, add one whole head of garlic, just cut off the very top of the head, exposing all the cloves. Keep in tact, don’t remove the skin. Add a variety of fresh herbs. I used fresh oregano, parsley, basil, thyme and rosemary. Any variety will work. You can also substitute with dried herbs if you don’t have fresh, but fresh is always best.
Top with a general amount of salt, at least 1 teaspoon and lots of freshly ground black pepper and 1 teaspoon of dried, crushed red pepper flakes. Drizzle all over with about 1/4 cup of a good variety of extra virgin olive oil. Toss with your hands to coat everything.
Slow and Low Roasting
Roast in the oven for about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and mix everything up a bit, then return to the oven for another hour.
Take the pan out of the oven and allow it to cool. Remove the herbs which are now looking pretty used up. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze out the garlic, then discard the skin.
Put everything into a bowl, including all the oil. Remove any large pieces of tomato skin. Using a fork, mash the tomatoes down a just a bit.
For an appetizer, use this confit over bruschetta or spoon over your favorite creamy cheese.
If you’re using as a pasta sauce, put the confit into a large saute pan and heat to warm. Add cooked pasta, toss and serve.
Enjoy!
Tomato Garlic and Herb Confit
Ingredients
- 6-8 large tomatoes or 4-5 cups cherry tomatoes, or combination
- 1 head garlic
- handful of fresh herbs - thyme, oregano, basil, parsley, rosemary, etc., any combination
- 1/4 cup good quality, extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250º
- Onto a sheet pan or roasting pan, add tomatoes.
- Add about 6 large tomatoes or 4-5 cups of cherry tomatoes. (You can use any variety or mix it up with a bit of both).
- Cut tomatoes in half, remove any large cores. Keep cherry tomatoes whole.
- To the pan, add one whole head of garlic, just cut off the very top of the head, exposing all the cloves. Keep in tact, don't remove the skin.
- Add fresh herbs. (oregano, parsley, basil, thyme and rosemary)
- Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper and 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes.
- Drizzle all over with 1/4 cup of olive oil.
- Toss well to coat everything.
- Roast in the oven for about 1 hour.
- Remove from the oven and mix everything up a bit, then return to the oven for another hour.
- Remove from the oven and allow it to cool.
- Remove the herbs, discard.
- Once cool enough to handle, squeeze out the garlic, then discard the skin
- Put all of the confit into a bowl including the oil.
- Remove any large pieces of tomato skin
- Using a fork, mash down on the tomatoes, just slightly to release the juices and seeds.
Serve as bruschetta, as a topping for lightly grilled bread or spoon over your favorite creamy Italian cheese and serve with toasts or crackers.
For Pasta Sauce
- If you're using as a pasta sauce, put the confit into a large saute pan and heat to warm.
- Add cooked pasta with a about 1/4-1/2 cup of reserved pasta water, toss to coat well and serve.
- Enjoy!
Karen Harris https://www.bittersaltysoursweet.com
