Tomato Confit

This is a great way to preserve tomatoes for later use. Cooking them down concentrates the sugars and acid making them super flavorful.

Ingredients:

-extra virgin olive oil
-fresh tomatoes - any variety, about 1 lb
fresh herbs like basil, bay leaf, thyme or rosemary
whole cloves of garlic

Instructions:

Wash and dry your tomatoes and remove the stems. Slice them in half. Pour enough olive oil in a baking dish so that it just covers the bottom of the dish (between 1/4 cup and 1/3 cup should be enough). Sprinkle coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, add a few branches of fresh thyme and/or a few sprigs of rosemary or some leaves of basil. Line the bottom of the baking dish with tomatoes, sliced side down. Peel and slice 2 or 3 garlic cloves, slice them in a half lengthwise and tuck them into the gaps between the tomatoes. Sprinkle the tomatoes with a bit more salt and a very small sprinkling of sugar (less than a 1/2 teaspoon) and add a few bay leaves if you want.

Bake the tomatoes at 350º in the in oven until they are soft and cooked through (about 30-40 minutes). Once they are soft, remove them from the oven and let stand until room temperature. Scrape the tomatoes and juices into a jar and refrigerate them. Eat them over the next 4 - 5 days. They will improve as they sit.

Toss in pasta, scrambled eggs, garlic toast, etc.

recipe from fullbellyfarm.com