Drought or not, I’ve been blessed with loads of Sungold and red cherry tomatoes this season. Even a few Beefsteaks. Wanting to preserve the harvest just a little longer, i decided to pair them with some wonderful Mizithra cheese, gifted to me by my friend Valarie.
Mizithra cheese is an unpasteurized Greek cheese that has been made in Greece for centuries. It reminds me of a dried ricotta, but with more flavor. It is a light cheese with a slightly salty flavor and is great for grating over spaghetti. In fact, it’s typically served with spaghetti and brown butter - and for good reason - it’s scrumptious.
Have a nice crusty baguette or some toasted ciabatta handy to complete this snack that will likely end up being dinner.
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds cherry tomatoes
2 heads garlic, peeled and sliced*
Handful of chopped basil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups-ish extra virgin olive oil
1 ball of burrata
1/2 cup Mizithra Cheese, grated
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 225.
Place the cherry tomatoes, garlic slices, and half the basil in a small baking dish or oven-proof saucepan. I had a Beefsteak that was ready so I diced it and tossed it in as well, not necessary, but I hate waste.
* I realize that this seems like a lot of garlic. I am a garlic LOVER so too much is never enough. But even my non-allium-loving friends love this. The “confitting” melts the garlic and everything else into almost a marmalade - sweetening it to perfection. There’s no strong garlic bite, I promise.
Sprinkle salt evenly all over.
Pour enough olive oil until the tomatoes are submerged. It’s okay if a little bit of the tomatoes are peaking above the oil, they will shrink down as they cook. Give everything a quick stir and let them settle. If needed, top with more olive oil.
Place them in the oven for 2.5 to 3 hours, or until the tomatoes are soft, slightly wrinkly, but still plump. The garlic cloves should be easily mashed with a fork.
Place the burrata ball in the center and cut it horizontally and vertically so it oozes out. Sprinkle the Mizithra cheese all o ver the confit and top with the rest of the chopped basil.
Ok, the burrata cheese sounds a bit over the top, but trust me on this one. That’s the first part that will be gone when you and your friends start digging some bread into it.
The burrata ball will be gone and you’ll still have some confit left, I’m sure. Use it on top of pasta or bruschetta.
Goodbye harvest, hello, confit weather.
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