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.

extra virgin olive oil
fresh tomatoes - any variety, about 2 lbs.
fresh herbs like basil, bay leaf, thyme or rosemary
whole cloves of garlic

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 3 or 4 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 45 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.