RECIPE BY CHEF JESSICA HALLAM
PHOTOS BY STEVE SMEDE
I CAN’T BELIEVE SUMMER IS COMING to a close! We were lucky this year and had an abundance of tomatoes in our garden. Today, I want to share with you my favorite way to use up all of my tomatoes at the end of the season: tomato confit. “Confit” is the French method of cooking, meaning to cook in its own fat or juices. Traditionally it referred to cooking duck or other meat in its own fat, but with the ever-growing meatless trend, vegetables are now being used more and more. There are so many ways to use this recipe. In addition to blending it into tomato sauce, you can also serve it over a piece of sourdough toast with ricotta cheese.
Tomato confit
• 1-2 lbs ripe tomatoes, any variety
• ¼ c. hand-torn basil leaves
• 4-5 whole cloves of garlic
• Salt and fresh ground pepper
• 1-2 c. olive oil
• 9x13 casserole dish
• Spaghetti noodles, cooked to al
dente and drained, not rinsed
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Wash and dry tomatoes. If using large tomatoes, chop into large chunks. Cherry
tomatoes can be whole. Place tomatoes in baking dish.
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add in basil and garlic. Pour olive oil over tomatoes
until there is about a ½ inch. You don’t want the tomatoes to be completely submerged.
4. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes. Tomatoes will start to brown on top.
5. Remove from oven and let cool. Now start your noodles and cook to al dente. Drain
and place back in pot and scoop a few spoonfuls of olive oil from the tomatoes and
stir.
6. Once cooled slightly, carefully scoop tomatoes, basil and garlic into a blender with
a slotted spoon.
7. Blend until smooth, 1 minute or so.
8. Poor sauce over noodles and cook for 3-4 minutes until heated through. Taste and
adjust salt and pepper as needed.
9. Serve immediately. For a complete meal, add grilled chicken, garlic bread and a
side salad. Enjoy!
Notes
Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for about a week. You can also blend and freeze thesauce to enjoy later.