Tomato Confit and Mozz Sauce
Though tomatoes are thought of as a summer vegetable, I think of them more specifically as a late summer/early fall one, since they require maximum time in the hot sun. Tomatoes are still around at the farmers market all through September and early October around these parts, and this is usually when I take the time to preserve some of them for the winter, or just for the near future. Enter: tomato confit, an incredibly flavorful preparation that will leave you with the most lush, jammy tomatoes and flavorful oil that you’ll want to add to all your meals. To confit something simply means to cook it low and slow in fat. Here, we cook the tomatoes in olive oil, studded with aromatics like lemon zest, garlic, and herbs. If you exclude the garlic (so that there’s no risk of botulism), the confit should safely keep for a month in the fridge, or you can freeze it for up to 6 months. Few things feel as exciting to me as pulling a jar of tomato confit out of the freezer in February or March - a little bit of warmth, preserved.
And I’m very excited for you to try the mozzarella sauce, which is nut free! If you’ve ever tried making vegan cheeses at home, you probably appreciate how difficult it is to do without nuts, specifically cashews. I’ve been experimenting with making cheeses using tofu, and had a real revelation when I tried using silken tofu. The velvety texture that the silken tofu contributed instantly reminded me of mozzarella, and even a little bit of mayo.
Enjoy the tomato confit on a slice of nice bread, smeared generously with the mozz sauce. The confit is also great in salads, pasta, grain bowls, anything! And the mozz sauce can be dolloped on top of pizza, spread on sandwiches, or thinned out to be used as a creamy salad dressing.
Tomato Confit
1 lemon (zest only)
4-6 garlic cloves (optional, see note)
a few sprigs of rosemary and/or thyme
1 lb/450 g cherry or grape tomatoes
sea salt
½ cup olive oil, plus more if needed
Preheat the oven to 300° F (150° C). Prepare a 8” x 6” baking dish or a dish of a similar size.
Cut 2-3 strips of zest off the lemon, give them a twist to release the oils, and add to the baking dish. If using garlic, smash and peel it, and add it to the baking dish, followed by the rosemary/thyme. Add the tomatoes, sprinkle them with salt to taste, and pour the olive oil over top. All the tomatoes should be at least halfway submerged in the oil (keep in mind that they will shrink as they cook), add more oil if needed.
Put the baking dish in the oven and let roast for 1-1 ½ hours, until the tomatoes are soft throughout. Once the tomatoes are done, let them cool for a few minutes. Discard the herb sprigs. Transfer the tomatoes to a jar and add enough of the oil to cover them. If you have any oil left over, strain it into another jar through a fine mesh strainer and use as a finishing oil, or for cooking. Keep both the tomatoes and the infused oil refrigerated for up to 1 week, or longer without the garlic (see note).
Note
Excluding the garlic will allow your confit to keep much longer - up to 1 month refrigerated, or 6 months frozen, since there’s no risk of botulism.
Mozz Sauce
makes about 2 ½ cups
16 oz/450 g silken tofu
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon white miso
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
½ teaspoon sea salt
Combine the tofu, oil, lemon juice, miso, nutritional yeast, and salt in a high-speed, upright blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Taste for salt and adjust if needed. Let cool in the refrigerator before serving. Keep the sauce refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Stir the sauce before serving if it separates in the fridge. Use the sauce on tartines or sandwiches, dollop on pizza, thin it out and use as a creamy salad dressing, etc.
Intuitive Cooking Takeaways
Confiting is a wonderful, simple technique that doesn’t require exact measurements or a specific recipe. Use it whenever you feel like cooking up something luxurious and have the time to let your ingredients slowly transform in the oven. You can confit so many things! Think alliums like onion, garlic, leeks, shallots, scallions, as well as squashes, eggplant, carrots/parsnips, fennel, green beans, peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, etc. Chop or slice your vegetables of choice if needed, put them in a baking dish, add enough olive oil so that it comes at least halfway up the vegetables, add aromatics, salt, and roast at 300° F (150° C) until very tender. Play around with the aromatics, too. Try adding whole spices like fennel or cumin, fresh or dried herbs, dried chilis, orange zest in place of lemon zest, etc.
The strained oil that you might have left over after making confit is like liquid gold, since it’s been infused with the beautiful flavors of your aromatics. Use it as a finishing oil or for cooking.