Title: About Roasted Garlic
Categories: Info Side Condiment
Yield: 1 Info file

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How to roast garlic:

Peel away the dry outer layers of skin from the desired number of heads of garlic. A medium head yields about a tablespoon of garlic paste. Leave the skins of the cloves intact. Cut off the pointed top portion - about 1/4 inch - with a sharp knife, leaving the bulb intact but exposing the individual cloves of garlic.

Place the heads of garlic, cut side up, in a small baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil (allowing about two teaspoons of oil for each head. Bake, covered, in a 400 F oven for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.

[Dave's note: Taking all the paper off the garlic bulb and then cutting off the top of the bulb can cause you to lose all the outer cloves: they will bake tough, leathery, and bitter. A much better way to prepare the garlic: Rub the bulb roughly between your hands to loosen any paper that would come off anyway. Place the bulb in the center of a big square of aluminum foil and bring the edges up to wrap the bulb, gathering the foil at the top. Leave a small (1/4-inch) opening at the top. Put the wrapped bulb on a baking dish and pour a couple of teaspoons of olive oil into the opening. A nice shake of coarse kosher salt and a grind of fresh pepper doesn't hurt, either. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes...or, if you're doing a pork roast or a chicken or turkey or whatever, put it in at whatever the temperature of the oven is anyway, and roast it until done. That's the way we do it at my house.]

Allow the heads to cool slightly before handling them, to prevent burning yourself. Use the paste warm or cooled. If serving it warm, such as when serving as a spread for bread, use the tip of a small knife to remove the paste from each head.

[Dave's notes again: The tip of a small knife? Oh puh-LEEZ. This is good honest garlic and doesn't deserve to be treated pretentiously. Pull a clove off of the bulb and squeeze out the delicious buttery roasted garlic onto the bread. Save the knife for spreading.]

If using the paste as a seasoning in cooking, remove the cooled garlic paste from the head by cutting off its stem end. Then use your fingers to squeeze the paste from each clove into a small bowl and discard the skings. Mash the garlic paste with a fork or back of a spoon til smooth. Use paste as desired.

Roast several bulbs at a time to have the paste on hand for seasoning. Freeze the paste in ice cube trays or wrap small portions in heavy plastic wrap; put into freezer bags. Thaw to use. Or, refrigerate the paste in an airtight container or wrapped in heavy plastic for up to a week.

Better Homes & Gardens 12/96

Additional comments and MM format by Dave Sacerdote

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