Slow-Poached Vegetables in Olive Oil

Ingredients

Vegetables you want to confit, such as 1 bunch asparagus, 1 head broccoli, 1 butternut squash, or 1 bunch celery (Keep in mind that you can combine veggies of relatively similar tenderness.)

A good amount of extra-virgin olive oil (Exactly how much will depend on the amount of veggies you're trying to confit. Conventional wisdom would have you submerge the vegetables completely in olive oil, but we don't bother. Olive oil is expensive, plus most vegetables will collapse into the oil as they cook so they end up covered eventually. We buy relatively inexpensive olive oil in bulk primarily for this reason-this isn't the time to use your fancy oil.)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Not essential, but really very lovely: sliced lemons, garlic cloves still in their skins, anchovies, chili flakes, peppercorns, sturdy herb sprigs (f you're going to eat the confit vegetables on their own, we would argue that the lemons are essential.)

Directions

Heat the oven to 300 degrees.

Uhile the oven heats, trim your vegetables to remove any inedible bits (woody asparagus ends for your Kitchen Scrap Stock Bag, broccoli stalk peels for the compost) and cut into bite-size chunks if desired. If we're shooting for a presentation-worthy dish, we leave the vegetables whole or in large pieces (full asparagus spears, carrots halved lengthwise, long celery stalks). But if we're just cooking for family, we cut everything into bite-size pieces so everything is easier to eat and reheat.

Season generously with salt and pepper and place in a small baking dish. Pick a dish that fits your vegetables well, so there isn't a lot of extra space to fill with olive oil. One layer is ideal, with a little overlap, but just wedge in extra bits as best as you can; the parts that don't get submerged will still cook through.

Pour in enough olive oil so your vegetables are roughly three-quarters submerged. Add any lemons, garlic, anchovies, or herbs and spices, cover with a lid or aluminum foil, and place in the oven. Bake until tender, 60 to 90 minutes, or more if you've added any sturdier vegetables. Taste and season with more salt and pepper before serving.

Notes

Source: Perfectly Good Food, by Margaret Li and Irene Li

Cooking food at a l low temperature in fat to preserve it for longer-often called confit-always seemed to us like a fancy thing one does only with duck legs and copious amounts of duck fat. Let's be real--who has either of those items around? However, we've recently been confit-ing every vegetable we can find--asparagus, fennel, squash, you name it--in a warm bath of olive oil. It's very satisfyingly hands-off: After a bit of prep work, you pop your vegetables into a low-heat oven and ignore them for at least an hour. Once cooked, i they last for ages in the fridge, topped with a protective layer of solidified olive oil. Pull them out anytime to warm up and toss on a salad, or sear in a pan for a fantastic meal in just a few minutes. And don't let that flavorful oil go to waste; scoop out a spoonful to fry an omelet, sear a steak, or even confit more vegetables. It's the gift that keeps on giving.

MAKE IT A MEAL

Confit vegetables are so handy to have in the fridge for almost immediate eating. Pull the vegetables out of the cold olive oil to put on tacos, stir into pasta sauce, or fold into an omelet. Put them on top of leftover rice or grains and microwave for an instant meal.