Tomato Confit

I may have followed a plant-based diet for over a decade, but I somehow never learned to love tomatoes.

Well, I love sundried tomatoes, marinara sauces and ketchup (yes...) but raw tomatoes are not my thing. Every now and then I can handle a good, thin slice on a bagel with tofutti cream cheese and cucumber, but if you give me tomatoes in a salad, I am a good sharer. I'd hand them right over to my dad when I was little (sometimes now still) and they are still for up grabs if my dining guest will enjoy...

I do understand how good they are for you though. Packed with so many nutrients and they can be pretty gorgeous...especially the heirloom varieties. So, to that end, I have learned how to cook with them and just last a couple of weeks ago I made my first tomato confit!

Confit is a French word meaning to preserve. It is a tradition to salt and slowly cook an ingredient in fat. If you do this with something like duck, it has it's own fat. Tomatoes do not. Here is how I made mine. Please note: I often under salt my food. You can always add more salt - you can NOT take too much salt away.

Heat your oven to 300 degrees.

In a baking dish add 2-3 cups of washed whole cherry or grape tomatoes.

Pour in a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil (like a cup) over the top. Add 5 sliced cloves of garlic, fresh basil leaves and a generous pinch of salt. You can add fresh oregano as well.

Bake for one hour, drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar, and let cool. You can use the final product in so many ways: perhaps over your favorite pasta, in omelets or salads, or warmed up with some cannelini beans or lentils.