Tomato and Raisin Confit

(pictured: tomato and raisin confit on a cracker with vegan mozzarella)

Confit is a term normally used with meat and most frequently duck that has been slow cooked in its own fat. However it also means fruit or vegetables cooked until tender in a seasoned liquid. When fruit and vegetables are made in the confit style that result is normally a sauce/garnish. This dish is no exception to that rule.

In the old days I would have served something like this with meat or sausage. Now, I like to use this with seitan sausage, or seitan cutlets. The sauce is very flavorful. If you prefer a completely smooth sauce you can put the raw ingredients in a blender or food processor before you cook them.

This sauce uses the Italian concept of agro dolce to make the flavor complex. I added the raisins to provide additional sweetness to offset the apple cider vinegar. The resulting taste is both sweet and sour at the same time.

Not only does this sauce add a lot of flavor to food but it adds nutrition as well. The cooked tomatoes, with a little fat, provided lycopene that the body can easily absorb. The shallots, ginger and garlic are high in antioxidants and are anti-inflammatory. I love recipes like this that taste good and fight disease too.

Tomato and Raisin Confit
Makes 2 ¼ cups or 36 tablespoons

Ingredients:

½ tablespoon of canola oil
2 tablespoons of shallots, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
½ inch of ginger, finely minced
8 Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely diced (approximately 4 cups when diced)
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
¼ cup of golden raisins, cut as finely as possible

Directions:

Sauté the shallots, garlic and ginger until soft. Add the remaining ingredients and cook over low heat until everything is soft and becomes a homogeneous paste. I cooked mine on low for about an hour stirring occasionally. Season the confit with salt and pepper to taste before storing.

This will keep in the refrigerator for about a week, or you can freeze it.

You can season this any way to like. Sometimes I make a curry version. Other times I make an Italian version and add rosemary and basil. If you want to serve this with Thai food add some hot peppers.

Nutritional Information per tablespoon:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 9.55
Calories From Fat (22%) - 2.13

Total Fat - 0.24g
Saturated Fat - 0.02g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 1.31mg
Potassium - 59.64mg
Total Carbohydrates - 1.82g
Fiber - 0.29g
Sugar - 1.13g
Protein - 0.25g

Comments:

This sauce/cold relish has a lot of flavor. The first flavor that I detect is the ginger, followed by the acidity from the vinegar. The sweetness of the raisins rounds out the flavor of the sauce. I use this on seitan cutlets, on seitan sausages, on top of vegan cheese. It would also be good on a sandwich in place of mayo or mustard.