Tomato ‘Confit’ (Slow-Roasted Tomatoes)
By Stephen Kalt Fine Cooking Issue 34
Martha Holmberg
Yield: Yields 40 pieces.
I like to use beefsteak tomatoes for this recipe, although I’m careful to use them when they’re just ripe—overripe tomatoes don’t yield great results. I’ve also substituted halved, seeded plum tomatoes in a pinch with good results.
Ingredients
10 ripe medium-large beefsteak tomatoes (about 8 oz. each)
Coarse salt
1/2 cup olive oil
Preparation
Heat the oven to 300°F. Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Core the tomatoes and use a sharp knife to score the bottoms with an X. Blanch a few tomatoes at a time for 20 to 30 seconds in boiling water. Remove and shock in ice water for 2 minutes. Start peeling the tomatoes, returning each to the cold water until all are peeled. Quarter the tomatoes and remove the seeds and interior flesh so that just the thick outer flesh is left. (Use a paring knife to carve out insides.) Lay the tomato pieces (seeded side down) flat on a parchment-lined 13×18-inch rimmed baking sheet or jelly roll pan; press down to flatten slightly. Sprinkle lightly with coarse salt and cover with the olive oil. Be sure all the tomato pieces are well coated in oil. Don’t worry if they’re crowded together; they’ll shrink when cooking.
Roast the tomatoes until they’re shrunken to one-third their original thickness, 2-1/2 to 3 hours. (You may need to remove the tomatoes in stages, as some will be done before others.) Occasionally turn the pan around in the oven to cook the tomatoes evenly. If the edges are turning black, reduce the oven temperature to 275°F. When done, they’ll be wrinkled, flat, and thin, but they’ll retain some of their moisture inside. The color will have darkened to a brick red.
Let the tomatoes cool and then store them in the refrigerator (covered in olive oil) for up to two weeks.
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