Garlic Confit

This was the best thing I think I've made all year.  Chef Michael Psilakis hit the jack pot with this recipe.
 

Ingredients

3 cups garlic cloves, peeled

1 fresh bay leaf or 2 dried leaves  

8 to 10 sprigs fresh thyme

Kosher salt and whole black peppercorns

About 2 cups blended oil (50 percent canola, 50 percent extra-virgin olive), as needed.

Cooking Directions

Put the garlic cloves in a heavy, covered braising pan or Dutch oven. Add the bay leaf and thyme, a scant tablespoon kosher salt, and 15 or 20 black peppercorns. Barely cover with the oil.

Cover the pan and braise in a 300°F oven until the cloves are pale golden and very tender, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool it to room temperature.

Transfer the garlic and all of the oil to a sterilized jar. Press a square of plastic wrap down directly onto the surface of the oil. Place another square of plastic over the rim of the jar and twist on the lid or secure with a rubber band. With every use, replace the square of plastic that touches the oil and use a perfectly clean fork or tongs each time to prevent cross-contamination from other surfaces in your kitchen. As long as the cloves and Garlic Purée,are covered with oil, they will last for at least 3 weeks in the refrigerator.

Roasted Tomato Sauce.......

Here is my first batch of canned roasted tomato sauce. I will make two more batches before the end of summer.  This batch made seven pint and half jars.  The recipe is simple and very straight forward.  You will need enough tomatoes to fill (to capacity) a half sheet pan.  I usually buy a large box of canning tomatoes at the farm and have about 10 tomatoes left over, so you will use a lot.  

Cut all the tomatoes into quarters. There is no need to peel or core tomatoes.  Fill a half sheet pan with the cut tomatoes about a layer and a half deep. Chopped  a head of garlic and add to the tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil, 3 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar, kosher salt, and pepper.

Mix well and roast in a 400 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes.

With the top spout of the blender open, spoon the tomatoes into the blender.  Once it is pureed to your desired consistency add 2 tbsp. Italian seasoning and more salt and pepper to taste. Fill your prepared hot jars with the sauce and then add 1 tbsp. of Real Lemon Juice before putting on the lid 

 Process covered in a rolling boil in a water bath canner for 35 - 40 minutes:

These are the pint and half size jars was mentioning.  This is the first year that I have seen this particular size jar in the canning section of any store.  If you care to make spaghetti sauce from this recipe, I would simmer for an hour or two and add sweet basil a chopped onion and what ever meat you choose. It's a delicious basic tomato sauce.

What makes canning so much fun for me is that I know exactly what ingredients are in the food I use.  These tomatoes were  purchased from a local farm  not far from my home.