As mid-September rolls in across the East End, farmstands are practically groaning under the weight of late-summer tomatoes. They’re deeply red, perfectly ripe, and bursting with sun-warmed sweetness — but we all know the clock is ticking. Before the autumn chill takes hold, giving this harvest its rightful curtain call is an annual ritual.
Over the years, we’ve celebrated tomato season in almost every way imaginable. We’ve grated them over charred bread for a simple Catalan-style pan con tomate, blended them cold into a silky Early Girl Farm gazpacho, tossed them fresh in chef Michael Ayoub’s summer garden pasta, and threaded sweet Sun Golds onto chef Philippe Corbet’s Sun Gold tomato grilled halloumi skewers with Greek chimichurri.
Consider this week’s recipe the ultimate tomato encore: a rich, aromatic tomato confit from frequent contributor chef Nicholas Vogel. Confit is the old-school art of slow-cooking something submerged in fat — here, extra-virgin olive oil infused with crushed garlic, fresh thyme, lemon peel, coriander and a whisper of chili flake. By gently bath-roasting the tomatoes at a low temperature, their natural sugars concentrate into sweet, velvety bombs of flavor while remaining whole.
Versatile and packed with flavor, the tomato confit is a go to condiment that can do wonders for traditionally simple meals. (Photo credit: Doug Young)
Best of all, this method acts as a delicious preservation technique, holding onto that mid-September sweetness long after the autumn chill sets in. When you’re ready to eat, spoon these tender gems—along with their liquid-gold oil—over a bowl of lumache (as featured in our photo) or chewy cavatappi, finishing with a splash of sherry vinegar to cut through the richness and bring that late-summer harvest right back to life.
Tips for the Home Cook
- Choose the Right Shape: We used lumache for this dish (pictured above), but if it’s tough to track down, cavatappi is an ideal alternative — its tight corkscrew twists and ridges grab onto every drop of garlic oil.
- Try It Over Grilled Bread: Pasta isn’t your only option here. Spooning this confit over thick, charred slices of grilled sourdough or country bread makes an incredible appetizer. Rub the warm bread with a raw garlic clove first, then crown it with the tender tomatoes and a drizzle of the infused oil.
- Don’t Waste the Oil: The leftover olive oil in the pan is pure kitchen gold. Once the tomatoes are gone, use the remaining oil for salad dressings, to drizzle over grilled vegetables, or to fry eggs.
- Low and Slow Is Essential: Keep your oven strictly at 200°F. Higher heat will burst the tomato skins and boil them, while low heat gently wrinkles the skins and leaves the tomatoes tender and whole.
- Bring to Room Temp: Before tossing the confit with hot pasta or spooning it over bread, let the tomatoes and oil come to room temperature so they don’t cool down your food or shock the delicate flavors.
End-of-season tomato confit
Ingredients
Tomato confit
- 3 cups extra-virgin olive oil (enough to nearly submerge the tomatoes)
- 2 lbs ripe late-summer tomatoes (such as plum, Campari, or small vine-ripe tomatoes)
- 6 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
- 6 fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 wide strips fresh lemon peel
- 1 tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
To serve
- 1 lb lumache (as pictured) or cavatappi (or thick grilled sourdough slices)
- 1 to 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
- flaky sea salt, to taste
- handful of fresh basil or oregano leaves, torn
- freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (optional)
Directions
- Prep the Oven and Dish: Preheat your oven to 200°F. Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer in a shallow baking dish or hotel pan.
- Season and Submerge: Scatter the crushed garlic, thyme sprigs, lemon peel strips,and crushed coriander seeds evenly over the tomatoes. Season uniformly withkosher salt, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Pour in enough extra-virgin oliveoil to cover the tomatoes roughly three-quarters of the way up.
- Confit Low and Slow: Bake uncovered at 200°F for 75 to 105 minutes. The tomatoes should wrinkle slightly and turn wonderfully tender while remaining whole.
- Cool and Preserve: Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the oil. Transfer the tomatoes and oil to glass jars, ensuring the fruit remains fully submerged. Refrigerate, or preserve using your preferred canning method with extra oil topped off to extend shelf life.
- Boil the Pasta (or Grill Bread): Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook the lumache or cavatappi until al dente, drain, and transfer to a warm serving bowl. (If serving over bread, grill thick slices of sourdough until charred on the edges and lightly rub with a clove of raw garlic).
- Finish and Serve: Bring your desired portion of tomato confit to roomtemperature. Gently spoon the softened tomatoes and generous splashes of theiraromatic oil over the warm pasta or grilled bread. Toss or finish with a splashof sherry vinegar, a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, and a handful of torn freshbasil or oregano. Serve immediately.
