Summer tomato season is something I look forward to every year, and whether you grow your own tomatoes or not, you can still enjoy all that it has to offer. Preserving tomatoes is a task I do towards the end of tomato season, but when you have a plant that keeps producing more than you can eat on a daily basis, or you find yourself at a farmer’s market, and see a beautiful abundance of fruit that you don’t want to let go to waste, go ahead and preserve a few times during the summer in a slow-cooker.
Slow-cooking tomatoes, cherry tomatoes in this case, create the most concentrated deliciousness called confit, that you can possibly imagine. Using a slow-cooker to roasted tomatoes for several hours, until the skins almost fall off, and their juices release and become a surrounding pool of tomato water, is what you’re aiming for. The intense tomato flavor is not only sweet, but it’s mixed with a delicate tang that becomes so enjoyable served with so many foods.
This tomato confit can make the best topping over rustic toasted bread, or soft cheeses; like goat or burrata, or even tossed with warm pasta, or cooked farro, and it’s definitely delicious spooned over grilled protein such as chicken, fish or steak. The beauty of this confit is that you can freeze some of it to add to fall and wintertime meals, especially when the weather is cooler, and you’re missing those summer flavors that you’re so fond of.
Ingredients
4 pints cherry tomatoes, any variety
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 sprigs fresh oregano
(Makes about 1 1/2 quarts)
To Prepare:
- Add all ingredients to a slow cooker.
- Cook on low heat for 6 hours. Remove lid and let cool for an hour.
- Ladle into freezer containers, reserving some to store in the refrigerator to use. Enjoy!
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