Spaghetti with confit cherry tomato and fennel seed

This method for confit cooking cherry tomatoes allows the tomatoes to absorb plenty of flavour from the garlic, chilli, fennel and bay leaves, creating a luscious sauce to coat in the spaghetti.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  2

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Confit, originating from the French word ‘confire’ (meaning ‘to preserve’), is a traditional French cooking method that involves slow-cooking meat or vegetables in a flavourful liquid (typically oil, or fat), at a low and gentle temperature.

Stream free On Demand

Spaghetti

Watch the full episode here

G

Watch the full episode here

G

Ingredients

• 8 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 1 red chilli, finely sliced
• 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed in a mortar and pestle
• 2 bay leaves
• ¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil for frying, plus 120 ml for simmering
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• 15 ml white wine
• 450 g mixed cherry tomatoes
• 220 g spaghetti
• 20 g grated parmesan, plus extra wedge to serve
• basil or flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, to serve

Instructions

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil over high heat. Season the water well with salt.

2. To make the sauce, place the garlic, chilli, fennel seeds and bay leaves in a large frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the ¼ cup olive oil, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper. Leave the oil to gently bubble and take on the flavours of the aromatics for 5 minutes. Pour in the white wine, stir and cook until the alcohol is cooked out.

3. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook until bubbling, for 2 minutes. Add an extra 1 tsp salt and stir through. Add 120 ml oil, then bring to a rapid simmer for an additional 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have softened, and the juices have collapsed into the pan.

4. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to the package directions to al dente (usually about 2 minutes less than the recommended cooking time listed on the packet).

5. Transfer one-third of the tomatoes into a blender and blitz until smooth. Remove ¼ cup of the oily liquid in the confit pan and discard. Stir through the blended tomato purée and season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. When the pasta is ready, lift the spaghetti out of the water using tongs and transfer to the confit tomato pan with ¼ cup pasta water and the parmesan. Stir well to combine. Increase the heat to medium to simmer, add extra pasta water if you need.

7. Divide spaghetti between warmed plates and garnish with herbs. Serve with a wedge of parmesan on the side.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

Want more from The Cook Up?

• Stream free here at SBS On Demand

• Get the show recipes, articles and more here

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Confit, originating from the French word ‘confire’ (meaning ‘to preserve’), is a traditional French cooking method that involves slow-cooking meat or vegetables in a flavourful liquid (typically oil, or fat), at a low and gentle temperature.

Stream free On Demand

Spaghetti

Watch the full episode here

G

Watch the full episode here

G