Our quintessential lazy fall/winter recipe: tomato confit pasta with basil that we pluck from our garden! These sweet and savoury cherry tomatoes confit which are slowly cooked in olive oil with thyme, garlic, and black pepper until soft and caramelized. Tossed with spaghetti and topped with parmesan cheese and basil, it doesn’t get simpler or more delicious than this!
Self-sustaining Herb Garden
We are delighted that our little garden is growing up well that we are able to get herbs like basil leaves. Initially, we are like many of you feel daunted by the idea of indoor farming because we think it is impossible to do so in the high-rise buildings we live in given its limited floor space and lighting. However, after months of trying, we can tell you do not need a large plot of land in a community garden or a backyard to create your own indoor herb garden.
Why self-sustaining herb garden?
- Leftover Herb. One problem that many of use faced is that there are always leftover from the herb we purchase in the supermarket.
- You wll always have fresh herb. Herb like basil leaves that we are using here need to be use in a few days after purchase which means you couldn’t keep them for too long. Growing one yourself means fresh herb always.
- Growing environmental awareness. Where it also led more people to make the connection to growing their own food, this is a great way for your children to understand where there vegetables comes from and how did they grow up.
There is a full list of the reason you should have your own self-sustaining herb garden. However, you need to make sure to devote time and have patience – gardening doesn’t have shortcuts. We will always devote at least 2 hours every week to our self-sustaining garden making sure they are in the right condition.
Cherry Tomato Confit
We know the word confit may conjure up some feelings of worry and anxiety, but we assure you, the process couldn’t be easier. The term confit is typically associated with meat (especially duck), but can also be applied to fruits and vegetables. Confit simply means to cook something in fat at a low temperature for a longer period of time.
To make the tomato confit, simply toss cherry tomatoes, garlic and thyme (your choice of herb) in olive oil, and slow-roast for 45 minutes on high heat or 120 minutes on low heat. We use low heat to avoid them getting burnt and the more you cook the deeper the flavour it is. The resulting tomatoes will soften and blister, releasing some of their juices onto the pan. The tomatoes and juices will have a wonderfully concentrated tomato flavour.
10 mintues meal
Prepare the cherry tomato confit ahead and store them in the fridge for later use and all you need for this recipe is 10 minutes. Here, we’re tossing cooked pasta with slow-roasted tomato confit and chopped fresh basil. You could also heat the tomato confit in your pan with some garlic for extra deep flavour.
Seasoning is key with this recipe. You need to season the tomatoes before they go into the oven, and you need to season the pasta water. Once you combine the two, you need to check for seasoning again. We found that we needed to add a couple more pinches of salt to really make the flavours pop.
For best results, give this recipe a try while tomatoes are in season. First, head back to our cherry tomatoes confit recipes and make a few jars first.
xoxo, Joe
Tomatoes Confit Pasta with Basil
Ingredients
2 cups of cherry tomatoes confit
12 oz dried pasta
Handful of basil leaves, torn, plus more for topping
1 tbsp of minced garlic
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Methods
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente (soft on the outside, but still some bite left on the inside).
- Combine and Toss. Place cooked pasta, basil and tomato confit* in a large bowl, tossing to combine. Season to taste with additional kosher salt and black pepper (add a couple of additional pinches of salt). Serve.
- Heat them in the pan. In a pan heat the oil and garlic till fragrant. Then add in the tomato and pasta, stir for 2 minutes. Add in the basil leaves and season to taste with additional kosher salt and black pepper. Serve.
No Comments