Tomato Sauce with Garlic Confit
I learned to make this really good tomato sauce (the best I’ve ever tasted!) from my husband. It’s a very simple red sauce recipe, but with one ‘secret’ ingredient that makes the whole thing taste extra special. That ingredient is garlic confit, and my husband got the idea from the chef Roy Choi. Confiting is a food preparation method that involves slowly cooking an ingredient (vegetables, meat, etc.) in plenty of fat. The method yields very rich flavor and velvety texture. For this sauce, we confit a whole head of garlic in olive oil, which gives us golden, creamy garlic cloves and a garlic infused oil. When added to the tomato sauce, the confit and garlicky oil contribute an extra dimension of savoriness and depth to the overall flavor. Enjoy this sauce with pasta, grains, add it to soups or stews, or use it for stewing vegetables (like these Romano beans).
Tomato Sauce with Garlic Confit
makes about 4 cups
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
1 head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled
2 28 oz/795 g cans whole peeled tomatoes (Bianco di Napoli is my absolute favorite brand)
1 yellow onion, very finely diced
sea salt
1-2 sprigs basil
freshly ground pepper
Combine 1/4 cup of olive oil and garlic in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Decrease the heat to a medium low to low, to maintain a very gentle simmer. Simmer, flipping the garlic cloves over periodically, for 20-30 minutes, until the garlic is tender and golden, but not too dark. Fish out the garlic cloves out of the oil, reserving the oil. Mash the garlic cloves in a mortar and pestle or with a fork in a small bowl, until mostly smooth.
Put the tomatoes through a food mill or blend in a blender. If using a blender, make sure to leave some texture to the tomatoes and not to over-blend. Over-blending will whip too much air into the tomato puree, which may lead to unwanted texture and color in the final product.
Heat a soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlicky oil from the confit and the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Saute until soft and translucent, but not browned, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and basil, stir to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer, uncovered and stirring periodically for about 1 hour, or until reduced and thickened. Season with pepper. Taste for salt and adjust if needed.
Intuitive Cooking Takeaways
Check out this tomato confit recipe in the cooking circle - perfect for summer.
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. For bigger, more voluminous vegetables, use the oven. 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.