I never thought I liked lamb. I had only had it served buffet-style, usually overcooked and rendered very gamey. Then my husband had some that was prepared correctly. Fresh and cooked perfectly. The heavens opened and angels sang. As with most things we enjoy, he and I decided to try to it at home. We opted for lamb chops, grilled rare, with a red wine rosemary reduction. Nailed it. We never went back to the buffet again.
Last year, I made another great stocking stuffer: a slow cooked tomato confit made with rosemary, thyme, and garlic. Because it was slow-cooked in my crockpot, the tomatoes and garlic were soft enough to spread and the herbs were actually palatable — even the rosemary (which is usually too stick- or needle-like and strong). The confit was great mixed with eggs, spread on crackers, or added to a sandwich. I put it in cute little jars, attached a label, and put them in gift bags along with my Gingerbread Latte Spice Mix (recipe here).
Slow-Cooked Tomato Confit
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 6-10 cloves of garlic, cut in chunks
- 3-4 stems of rosemary
- 4-6 stems of thyme
- 2-4 cups olive oil, enough to cover ¾ of tomatoes
- salt & pepper, to taste
In a crockpot, add cherry tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Cover ¾ of the way with olive oil. Cook on low for 4-5 hours, or until tomatoes and garlic are soft. Remove bare stems left from rosemary and thyme.
The rosemary and tomatoes reminded me a lot of our rosemary lamb chops, and I got the idea to slow cook those in the crockpot with the confit mixture. To the recipe above, I added lamb chops, seasoned with salt, pepper, plus onion and garlic powders. I threw in some green olives for a nice briny kick and some potatoes. It turned into a warm and gratifying meal for a cold December night!
Slow-Cooked Rosemary Lamb Chops
- slow-cooked tomato confit
- 4-6 lamb chops
- green olives, to your preference (I use about 1 cup’s worth)
- 2-3 potatoes, diced large
- salt, pepper, onion & garlic powders, to taste
- Parmesan cheese, optional
Cook on low for the same 4-5 hours, spooning juices over lamb chops periodically until all ingredients are cooked through and lamb is at that roast-like point of falling apart. Spoon potatoes into dish and smash for a base layer. Add lamb and confit. Top with some Paremsan cheese, if desired.
The Saucy Tomato 