Make Ahead

Zucchini and Mixed Cherry Tomato Confit

by:
June 29, 2010
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0 Ratings
Zucchini and Mixed Cherry Tomato Confit
  • Makes a little more than one cup
Author Notes

I love the way slow roasting brings out the essence of summer tomatoes. If raw cherry tomatoes enjoyed soon after picking taste like the early morning sunshine, bright and cheery, slow roasted cherry tomatoes are like a brilliant summer sunset, complex, lingering and multi-hued. I was hoping the same would be true for zucchinis. Turns out it is true; this confit captures the essence of summer's sweet bounty. I am not sure I will ever be able to eat them any other way. You will see what I mean. This confit is extremely versatile – delicious on its own (by the spoonful, in my case), spread atop toasted baguette à la bruschetta, or with some freshly grated parmesan or feta to transform weeknight pasta into something special. —gingerroot

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 3 small firm zucchini, scrubbed
  • 1 cup mixed yellow and orange cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 1-2 anchovy fillets, packed in oil
  • scant 1 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • sea salt
  • 1 10 inch square piece of parchment paper (approx.)
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
  2. Prepare a baking sheet by placing parchment paper in center, and folding up the edges on each side of the square (about a ¼- ½ inch), pinching the corners, to create a slight rim (to catch all the sweet, roasting juices).
  3. Place zucchinis in the middle of parchment paper. With a sharp knife, make small slits down the top of each one. Arrange cherry tomato halves around zucchinis.
  4. Sprinkle minced garlic on each zucchini and distribute the remaining garlic evenly on top of tomatoes. Season vegetables with a pinch or two of sea salt and drizzle with the olive oil (making sure to cover the zucchinis).
  5. Nestle anchovies among the tomatoes. Place rosemary sprig between zucchinis. Roast for about an hour, until zucchinis are soft when tested with a fork.
  6. Remove baking sheet from oven and let cool for a few minutes (I could not wait and cut right into them, which is okay, just be careful not to burn your hand). Discard Rosemary sprig.
  7. (From this point on, leave vegetables in parchment paper. This way all the caramelized juices from the tomatoes and zucchinis will be added to the confit). Carefully trim stem end of zucchini and discard. Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise and either scoop out flesh with a spoon or cut in half again and then chop, placing into a bowl. (I did a mixture of both – some zucchinis were softer than others so I scooped out the flesh from those and then chopped the skin, others that were not as soft I quartered lengthwise and did a rough chop).
  8. Add roasted tomato halves, garlic bits, caramelized juices, remaining olive oil and anchovy (by now melted into salty deliciousness), using parchment paper to help funnel every drop into bowl with zucchinis.
  9. Stir to combine and season with sea salt to taste (if needed).
  10. Add a splash (I probably added a tablespoon) of red wine vinegar (the best you have – I used 18-year-old red wine vinegar I bought in Napa – delish!).
  11. Transfer to a glass jar with airtight lid. If you are not going to use within a day or two, make sure to top with olive oil to keep longer. Confit should last about a week.
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  • lorigoldsby
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  • gingerroot
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    TheWimpyVegetarian
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gingerroot

Recipe by: gingerroot

My most vivid childhood memories have to do with family and food. As a kid, I had the good fortune of having a mom who always encouraged trying new things, and two grandmothers who invited me into their kitchens at a young age. I enjoy cooking for the joy it brings me - sharing food with loved ones - and as a stress release. I turn to it equally during good times and bad. Now that I have two young children, I try to be conscientious about what we cook and eat. Right about the time I joined food52, I planted my first raised bed garden and joined a CSA; between the two I try to cook as sustainably and organically as I can. Although I'm usually cooking alone, my children are my favorite kitchen companions and I love cooking with them. I hope when they are grown they will look back fondly at our time spent in the kitchen, as they teach their loved ones about food-love. Best of all, after years on the mainland for college and graduate school, I get to eat and cook and raise my children in my hometown of Honolulu, HI. When I'm not cooking, I am helping others grow their own organic food or teaching schoolchildren about art.

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11 Reviews

lorigoldsby
lorigoldsby August 12, 2011
Thanks for posting this again so we "newbies" can see what we missed before joining food52! This recipe reminds me of why I like to look at the recipe files of the cooks I admire...there's gold in them hills!
 
gingerroot
gingerroot August 13, 2011
Thank you, Lori, for such a nice comment! While
I love sweet fresh summer tomatoes, for me, slow roasting puts them
over the top!
 
gingerroot
gingerroot August 20, 2010
I found that my favorite way to enjoy this is on a crusty baguette, with some cheese - I finished most of this recipe eating sandwiches like this. It would also be delicious with grilled chicken.
 
lapadia
lapadia June 29, 2010
Geez, we have a great (quite large) garden every year; reading all the comments with your zucchini, tomatoes etc., really makes me feel like I am on a different planet up here in the PacNW; I am just now enjoying lettuce, spinach, snap peas and for the last couple months asparagus (starting to go to seed). Actually have to go to the supermarket (rather than my garden) to buy something for a contest entry on F52! Lucky you who live in a warmer climate…
 
gingerroot
gingerroot June 29, 2010
I think it is all relative...I love the PacNW! I had to buy my cherries last week at the supermarket (not even farmer's market)...: )
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian June 29, 2010
I roast cherry tomatoes all the time and then reserve them for so many uses. I just love the intensity of the tomato taste that results but had never thought to try it with zucchini. What a great idea and just saved your recipe to my file to try! And what a great tip from AJ! Thanks!
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames June 29, 2010
I almost always roast one vegetable or another while making bread. The bread goes on a shelf that's 2/3 down, with the veggies underneath on the bottom shelf. We eat tons of veggies around here, for lunch, dinner and snacks (and the occasional breakfast), and it's a snap to do if you've got the oven on for the bread. ;o)
 
gingerroot
gingerroot June 29, 2010
Thanks! Let me know what you think. As much as I love slow roasted tomatoes, I think the tomatoes actually take a back seat here, providing just the right amount of underlying sweetness that allows the zucchini flavor to burst forth. I just ate what was left of it from one of my half-pint jars smeared on a piece of baguette for lunch.
 
gingerroot
gingerroot June 29, 2010
AJ, I'm going to have to check out some of your bread recipes! : )
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames June 29, 2010
This sounds so tasty! I've been slow roasting zucchini these past few weeks, putting them in the oven while I bake bread (a 325/350 degree oven is actually slow enough to coax out all that sweet goodness). Local cherry tomatoes are now, finally, plentiful. I can't wait to try this recipe this weekend. Veggie confits are so nice to have hand. Very well done!! ;o)
 
gingerroot
gingerroot June 29, 2010
Thanks so much for your kind words and tip, AJ! I was worried that I would scorch my cherry tomatoes (some were tiny!) but I look forward to making more summer veg confits soon and will experiment with the temperature...