Braisedolivesintomatosauce Recipes

SLOW BRAISED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
• Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the basil leaves and red pepper flakes, and stir well.
• If using plum tomatoes, cut them lengthwise in half. Toss the tomatoes with the sugar and salt.
• Place the tomatoes cut side down in a roasting pan that will hold them in a single layer. (If you don't have a pan large enough, use an additional roasting pan and more olive oil.) Spoon the onion mixture over the potatoes. Add enough olive oil to come halfway up the tomatoes, about 1/2 cup.
• Roast until the tomatoes are tender and falling apart, about 3 hours (about 1 hour for cherry tomatoes). Stir once, gently, during the roasting. Let cool; then refrigerate, covered, in their oil.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH TOMATOES, OLIVES AND CAPERS

Steps:

• Put the oil in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When it's hot, add the chicken, skin side down. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook undisturbed, adjusting the heat so the chicken doesn't burn, until the pieces are browned on the bottom and release easily from the skillet, 5 to 10 minutes. Continue cooking, turning the chicken every few minutes, until it's brown all over, 5 to 10 minutes more. Remove the chicken from the pan and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat.
• Add the onions and capers and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and tomatoes; cook until the mixture starts to bubble and the tomatoes thicken slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the wine and let the mixture bubble for another 2 minutes.
• Add the olives and thyme, and return the chicken to the skillet, nestling the pieces into the sauce. Adjust the heat so the liquid bubbles gently but steadily, then cover the skillet. Cook, turning the chicken every 10 minutes or so and adding a splash of stock or water if the sauce looks too dry, until the chicken is tender and cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh should read 155 to 165). Taste the sauce, and adjust the seasoning. Garnish with the parsley, and serve.

SLOW-BRAISED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250°F.
• Cook onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in basil and red pepper flakes.
• Toss tomatoes with sugar and salt in a bowl. Arrange tomatoes, cut sides down, in a roasting or baking pan (13- by 9-inch). Spoon onion mixture over tomatoes and add enough of remaining 3/4 cup olive oil to reach halfway up tomatoes. Braise in middle of oven, stirring gently halfway through cooking, until tomatoes are very tender but not falling apart, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.