tomato confit soup
a grilled cheese's best friend.
Punxsutawney Phil may have seen his shadow, but Florida has been welcoming tomatoes for over a month now.
The South, if you don’t live here, operates on a different timeline, and I learned a long time ago to appreciate its bounty rather than question its calendar.
When tomatoes are in season and available at the farmers market, my favorite way to use them is to make a tomato confit. In this case, we’ll blend it into a soup to eat with grilled cheese, but it’s also delicious with pasta, on toast, or with eggs for breakfast.
Ingredients:
2 small baskets of cherry or sungold tomatoes
Olive oil
Fresh herbs of choice– I love thyme and rosemary for this, or basil in the summer
Half a head of garlic
One large shallot or half an onion, chopped into chunks
Process
Preheat oven to 250 degrees
To a baking dish, add your tomatoes, herbs, shallot/onion, and garlic.
Pour enough olive oil to cover the tomatoes at least halfway. DON’T PANIC! You can save the leftover oil for later. Generously season everything with salt and pepper.
Roast tomatoes uncovered for about two hours. You may need to flip the garlic cut side down.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes.
To a blender, add your confit tomatoes, the cooked onions, garlic and blend until smooth.
To a small pot, add 2 cups of heavy cream, coconut milk, or stock of choice and your tomato mixture. Bring to a gentle simmer and add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with grilled cheese and a drizzle of leftover olive oil on top.