Savoury Beginnings

This recipe is inspired by my time in food-service, which is an industry I spent nearly a decade of my life in. My last few years in food-service were spent at a popular local chain in my hometown, which is known for its excellent food. One of the perks of the job was discounted meals on shift, and their garlic pasta was at the top of my favourites list.

As a connoisseur of all things savoury, the combination of vegetables, roasted garlic, and briny olives made my heart sing. It was like an aglio e olio and a pattanesca had a beautiful lovechild, and I looked forward to having it at least once a week. The difficulties created by the pandemic made it clear it was time for me to move on from serving, and this coupled with a move across the country made it necessary for me to develop recipes to enjoy some of my old favourites at home. With a few personal tweaks, I think I have finally found a formidable dupe for their dreamy garlic pasta for myself and others to make at home.  

What is Confit?

Confit is a word derived from the French verb confire, which translates to “to preserve.” It refers to a method of cooking where you cook a food in fat at a low temperature for an extended period of time, and was a method of preserving meat for long periods of time. The most famous example of this is confit de canard or duck confit, which involves roasting duck at a low temperature to slowly render out all of the fat.

The duck is then finished by poaching in its own fat and can be stored in a container with that fat. This results in that is tender, melt in your mouth meat that is the first step in several dishes like cassoulet. Though it is often used to cook meat, confit can also be a method of cooking vegetables in oil or fruit in a syrup. In this recipe, we use olive oil to slowly roast garlic cloves until they’re caramelized and buttery soft. Garlic confit is an incredibly versatile ingredient and can be used in a variety of ways. Some of our favourites are:

• Garlic confit mayonnaise
• Garlic butter
• Spread on toast
• Marinades
• Mashed potatoes

However, it is worth noting that, like many preserved foods, garlic confit does carry a risk of botulism. This is due to the low-acid, low-sugar, low-oxygen environment the confit is stored in. This can be the perfect environment for bacteria growth if proper precautions aren’t taken. To avoid this, be sure to store the garlic confit at a cool temperature in a clean container with a tight seal. You can store it in the fridge for about 7 days or in the freezer for several months.

How to Make It

Prepare the garlic confit

Preheat the oven to 250°F. Meanwhile, add the garlic, olive oil, and rosemary to an oven-safe dish. Make sure that there is enough olive oil to completely cover the garlic cloves.

To save time, you can purchase garlic cloves pre-peeled. Cook the garlic at 250°F for 2 hours or until the cloves are golden and soft. Set the dish aside and allow it to cool.

Prepare the pasta

In a large pot of salted water, cook the pasta according to package directions. We suggest using a long pasta shape like linguine or spaghetti, but you can use any shape you would like. Drain the pasta, making sure to reserve some pasta water, then set it aside as you prepare the sauce. In a large pan, heat a ¼ cup of the garlic-infused oil from the confit over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and eggplant and cook until they have browned slightly and most of the water has been released (about 5 minutes).

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Next, add the red pepper and tomato to the pan and cook until they are softened (about 5 minutes). Add the olives, mashed confit garlic, lemon juice, and chili flakes to the pan and cook until fragrant (2 minutes).

Remove the pan from the heat and add your cooked pasta. Toss the pasta while slowly adding parmesan cheese and pasta water until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.

Toss the pasta with the parsley and serve with a sprig of fresh parsley and a clove of garlic confit.

If you are looking to serve this pasta with a protein, it would go well with grilled chicken breast, garlic shrimp, or white beans.