How to Make Confit

Confit (pronounced /känˈfē/) sounds complicated, but all it really means is food that is cooked slowly in lots of fat. Although duck confit is probably the most well known of its kind, you can use this cooking technique to prepare many different foods – including a wide variety of produce. After all, there’s little that wouldn’t benefit from being cooked in a few inches of rich olive oil. The benefit of confit is that you can use the produce, which is meltingly tender and rich, and the fat that it’s cooked in, which is aromatic and infused with flavor.

Garlic, tomatoes, and peppers would all make for wonderful confit. You can make as much or as little as you like, but more is always welcome. Begin by washing and drying your produce and adding it to a baking dish with high sides. Then, pour enough olive oil into the dish to cover the produce and add a few sprigs of aromatics – thyme, bay leaf, rosemary, and oregano will all do, as will dried chiles. Place the baking dish in an oven set to 300º F and let the magic happen over the course of one to two hours. Your confit will be done when the produce is tender and, in the case of tomatoes, bursting and beginning to fall apart. Once the confit has cooled, you can store it in an airtight jar in the fridge for a few weeks. Use it for sandwiches, pasta, salads, and more!