Yellow Tomato Confit Recipes

YELLOW TOMATO CONFIT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Scatter the red onion, chiles, garlic, and basil and oregano sprigs in a baking dish. Core the yellow tomatoes and place them, stem side down, on top of the onions. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt, and pour the olive oil and 1 cup water over the tomatoes.
• Cook the tomatoes in the oven about 50 minutes, until they soften and blister. Remove the pan from the oven, and let cool 10 minutes. Strain the tomatoes and onions over a bowl, saving the juice. Discard the herbs and half the chiles.
• Transfer half the tomato mixture to a blender with 1/2 cup of the liquid. (You will need to purée in batches.) Process at the lowest speed until the tomatoes are puréed. Pour in more liquid, a little at a time, until the tomato confit is the consistency of heavy cream. Turn the speed up, and blend about a minute, until completely smooth. Transfer to a container, and repeat with the second half of the tomatoes. (You may not need all the liquid.) Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Taste for seasoning.
• Note
• The tomatoes need to fit snugly in the baking dish in one even layer. If there is too much room in the pan, the sauce will be thin and lose some of its intensity.

RED AND YELLOW CHERRY TOMATO CONFIT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread tomatoes and garlic out on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with rosemary, crushed red pepper, a large pinch of salt and several grinds of pepper. Bake until tomatoes are wrinkled and fragrant, about 45 minutes, shaking pan once or twice. Transfer tomato pan to a rack to cool. Discard garlic. Use confit in salads, or serve over dishes like pasta, fresh ricotta cheese or polenta, or on grilled meats, fish or fowl.

TOMATO CONFIT

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Score tomatoes, and drop into boiling water until skin peels away from score cuts. Transfer tomatoes to a bowl sitting in ice water, and cool. Peel tomatoes.
• Cut each tomato lengthwise, and remove seeds. Place tomato halves in a colander over a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt, and toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours, gently tossing every 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Place tomatoes in an ovenproof pot or ceramic dish with low sides. Pour in enough olive oil just to cover the tomatoes. Tie coriander and peppercorns in cheesecloth, and add to pot along with bay leaves, thyme and garlic. Place over medium heat, and bring to a simmer. Cover with parchment paper or a lid, and transfer to oven. Roast until tomatoes are very tender and supple, about 3 hours. Remove from oven, and let cool.
• Remove herbs and spices from pot, and discard. Carefully transfer tomatoes to a glass container. Ladle oil over top, being careful to remove only oil and not tomato liquid at bottom of pot. Add just enough oil to cover tomatoes. Seal container, and refrigerate; confit can be stored for up to 2 weeks.

SANTA BARBARA SPOT PRAWNS WITH TOMATO CONFIT, GARLIC, AND CHILE

Steps:

• Use kitchen scissors to cut the shells of the spot prawns down their backs, from the base of their heads to the tip of their tails. (Don't remove the shells.) If the prawns are wet, dry them with paper towels.
• Heat two heavy-bottomed sauté pans over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Swirl 2 tablespoons olive oil into each pan, and carefully place the prawns in the pans, on their sides. (You will need to cook the prawns in batches to avoid overcrowding them.) Season each batch of prawns with 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Pour another 2 tablespoons oil into each pan, and cook about 5 minutes, until the shells get some color and the flesh begins to turn opaque on the first side.
• Turn the prawns over, drizzle another 2 tablespoons oil into each pan, and season the second side of each batch with 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Cook another 3 minutes or so, until the prawns are just cooked. (You can peek inside the cut shell to see that the flesh is completely opaque.)
• Remove the prawns to a platter, and turn the heat under both pans down to medium-low. Divide the shallots, thyme, and sliced chiles between the two pans. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Cook 2 minutes, until the shallots are translucent, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the flavorful shrimp bits. Divide the garlic between the pans, and cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often, until the shallots and garlic are soft and just starting to color. Turn the heat back up to high, and add half the cherry tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and lots of freshly ground black pepper to each pan. Taste for seasoning, and cook a minute, stirring often.
• Spoon the hot yellow tomato confit onto a large warm platter.
• Add half the prawns, sliced parsley, oregano, and the two basils to each pan, and roll the prawns in the cherry tomatoes to coat well. This final step is a little cumbersome but really helps coat the prawns in the cherry tomato sauce.
• Arrange the prawns on the platter, and squeeze a generous amount of lemon juice over them. Spoon the remaining cherry tomato sauce over the top.
• Serve with lots of crusty bread for sopping up the sauce and juices. The prawns would also be great with steamed rice or over pasta.
• Yellow Tomato Confit
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Scatter the red onion, chiles, garlic, and basil and oregano sprigs in a baking dish. Core the yellow tomatoes and place them, stem side down, on top of the onions. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt, and pour the olive oil and 1 cup water over the tomatoes.
• Cook the tomatoes in the oven about 50 minutes, until they soften and blister. Remove the pan from the oven, and let cool 10 minutes. Strain the tomatoes and onions over a bowl, saving the juice. Discard the herbs and half the chiles.
• Transfer half the tomato mixture to a blender with 1/2 cup of the liquid. (You will need to purée in batches.) Process at the lowest speed until the tomatoes are puréed. Pour in more liquid, a little at a time, until the tomato confit is the consistency of heavy cream. Turn the speed up, and blend about a minute, until completely smooth. Transfer to a container, and repeat with the second half of the tomatoes. (You may not need all the liquid.) Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Taste for seasoning.
• Note
• If you can't find spot prawns, make this summer dish with another type of fresh prawn or large gulf shrimp sold in their shells.
• You can make the yellow tomato confit in the morning. The rest of the cooking must be done at the last minute, but you can get all the slicing and herb-prepping done ahead, so that when it comes time to cook you'll be ready. The spot prawns should be cleaned right before they're cooked and not any earlier. When it comes to sautéing the prawns, for six people you'll need two or three sauté pans, or you can do them in batches. While cooking the shallots and tomatoes in one pan, you could be sautéing the last batch of prawns in the other.