Tomato Confit

A preparation that is always found in my refrigerator

Tomato confit is a foundational element in my cooking. I love the way tomato flavors intensify and sweeten after long, slow cooking. They marry beautifully with almost everything, from lamb, chicken, and fish to pasta. As a consequence, they find their way into a lot of my dishes.

Tomatoes from the Garden,

Tomato Confit

Tomatoes intensify and sweeten after long, slow cooking and marry beautifully with almost everything. I use the same technique for all tomatoes, whether they are sweet cherry tomatoes or the meatier Romas.

• 6 Roma tomatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig savory (chopped)
• 10 basil leaves (chopped)

Whole Tomato Version (perfect for cherry tomatoes)

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Toss everything together in a bowl then put into an ovenproof pan and bake for 2 hours, or until tomatoes will look wrinkled, blistered, and slightly reduced.

Sliced Tomato Version (perfect for plum tomatoes and slicers)

1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Slice the tomatoes half-inch thick and lay on a silpat-covered sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil, then season with herbes de Provence, onion powder, garlic powder, sea salt, black pepper, and herbs. Bake for 2 hours, or until the tomatoes have shrunk and lost a lot of moisture.

The tomatoes will keep for about a week.