Confit tomato, peppers and garlic

Ingredients:

Confit slow roasted tomatoes

• 2.5kg salad tomatoes, quartered
• Salt and milled pepper 
• 1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil + extra for topping up
• 1/3 cup (80ml) balsamic vinegar
• 3 Tbsp (45ml) sugar
• 7 cloves garlic, sliced
• ½ punnet (10g) fresh thyme or origanum, leaves picked 
• Handful fresh basil leaves

Confit peppers

• 4 packets (about 1.1kg) Palermo peppers
• 1 cup (250ml) olive oil 
• 3 cloves garlic, halved
• 4 sprigs fresh origanum 
• 2 strips lemon peel

Confit garlic

• 2 bulbs garlic, cloves peeled
• 1½  cups (375ml) olive oil blend
• Handful thyme and/ or rosemary leaves 
• Pinch salt

Method

Confit slow roasted tomatoes

1. Arrange tomatoes in a single layer on 2-3 baking trays (take care not to overcrowd them). Season, then drizzle with oil and balsamic. 
2. Sprinkle with sugar, garlic and herbs.
3. Roast at 150°C for 60-75 minutes or until tomatoes have gone soft and slightly caramelised. Place tomatoes in sterilised jars while hot, and top up with room- temperature olive oil. Cool down at room temperature. 
4. Tap jars so that any air bubbles escape to the top.
5. Seal jars and refrigerate. 
6. Use within 2 weeks.

Confit peppers

1. Grill the whole peppers over an open gas hob until almost blackened all over. (You can also do this under an oven grill at 220°C.)
2. Place in a bowl, cover with clingwrap and set aside for 10 minutes. 
3. Remove skins – they should slide off easily. 
4. Halve peppers, discard seeds and place flesh in sterilised jars.
5. Heat olive oil, garlic, origanum and lemon peel in a pan over medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes to infuse. 
6. Pour flavoured oil into jars, submerging peppers completely. 
7. Cool, seal and place in the fridge. 
8. Use within 3-4 weeks.

Confit garlic

1. Place garlic cloves and herbs in a small oven dish and submerge completely in oil. 
2. Cover with foil and roast at 130°C for 80-90 minutes until soft.
3. Place hot oil and garlic cloves into two sterilised 250ml jars. (If not filling, top with a circle of baking paper to keep it airtight.) 
4. Cool down at room temperature. 
5. Keeps in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.