4th September, 2007
How to Roast Garlic
My summer experimentation with Garlic continues! Unfortunately, due to a frustrating lack of rain (from March to September we didn’t see more than 10 consecutively rainy minutes once!) our pickings from the CSA farm where we have shares (just outside of Barrie, Ontario) has been a little meager. But one thing we have had lots of is Garlic (and Garlic Scapes)
Garlic - Italy’s National Flower
Earlier in the season we used heaps of Garlic Scapes in a number of different recipes, including Steamed Garlic Scape, Garlic Scapes Diced in a Salad, and even Garlic Scapes as a Tasty Addition to several dishes, like stew and chili!
Now, we’ve seen the end of the Garlic Scapes, but we have heaps of Garlic.
What to do?
*QQ “Fight Mouthwash … eat garlic.” ~Lloyd J. Harris, The Official Garlic Lovers Handbook
Well, tonight we decided on Roasted Garlic! I don’t know why but this was a first for me. Strangly, even loving Garlic as much as I do I’ve never tried this one out.
I’ve been meaning to for years, but suppose I wasn’t really sure HOW to Roast Garlic.
I am happy to say that it was incredibly easy.
Also, it is fortunate that my wife likes Garlic as much as I do… Because it really doesn’t help a relationship when Garlic loving is one sided!
*DYK Studies show that eating Garlic regularly provides a number of incredible health benefits; from lowering blood pressure to fending off vampires!
How To Roast Garlic
- Pre-heat your oven to about 400°F.
- Peel the outside skin off your Garlic bulbs, leaving the skin on the individual cloves inside. It’s okay if some of the skin comes off the individual cloves but leave all the cloves attached!
- Nip off the top 10% of each clove with a sharp knife. I throw the tops into a salad usually.
- Pack the whole bulb into Tin Foil, but leave it open because you’re not quite done yet!
- Drizzle a good oil over the top of your Garlic Cloves. You should use a couple of teaspoons worth but basically just coat your Garlic Bulb.
- Sprinkle on some Basil.
- Seal tinfoil.
- Put Garlic in oven for 30-35 minutes.
- Allow to cool enough to handle with your fingers.
- Enjoy!
(click image to enlarge)
You don’t NEED the oil, the garlic turns out great even without it, but the oil caramelizes, with adds a wonderful element to this simple appetizer.
*QQ “Do not eat garlic or onions; for their smell will reveal that you are a peasant.” ~Cervantes, Don Quixote (1614)
Also, if you’re worried about eating that much garlic at one sitting, don’t be! After roasting for 30 minute, a Garlic Bulb loses most of it’s intensity and you’re left with an incredible mellow earthy (almost nutty) flavor.
I loved eating the garlic , but I’ve been told you can spread it across bread for a nice Garlic Bread treat too and I intend trying this out next.
If you have a differnt method of Roasting Garlic, or another good idea of what to do with the finished result (e.g. Garlic Bread Spread) please share! I have a ton of Garlic left and would love to learn more ways of How to Roast Garlic!
Posted at 3:05 am |
On September 4, 2007 at 3:24 am Vireyar said:
September 4, 2007 at 3:24 am
Roasted garlic is delicious, but there’s one thing - oil doesn’t caramelize. The sugars in the garlic do.
The addition of oil to the garlic aids in the caramelization process by providing a more direct method of heat transfer than the convection of the oven to the garlic.
On September 4, 2007 at 3:42 am TheCanadianFoodie said:
September 4, 2007 at 3:42 am
Thank you Vireyar for your comment!
That makes sense, I hadn’t thought about the natural sugars.
I did assume the oil was triggering the caramelization in some way (as opposed to the oil itself caramelizing, which is what I wrote)
I had noticed that, there were a few small cloves on the inside that had not had their tops cut off while I prepared the bulb. These particular cloves didn’t caramelize in the least, so either the new cloves have less sugar (which I doubt) or the oil plays a significant part in the caramelization.
Either way, it was definitely delicious!
On September 17, 2007 at 11:49 pm Ferdzy said:
September 17, 2007 at 11:49 pm
I’ve been meaning to post about roasting garlic, and haven’t got to it yet. One thing I did discover this summer though, is that roasted garlic freezes fairly well. Spread it out on a plastic or wax paper covered plate or try, freeze until solid then pack in a zip-lock freezer bag. Good idea to double or triple bag it to keep odours under control. I’ve been hauling them out a few cloves at a time for use in sauces or salad dressings.
On October 14, 2007 at 8:14 pm YannChef said:
October 14, 2007 at 8:14 pm
Hi!
There a little tip about cooking with garlic. As might have tasted yourself, garlic can turn bitter when cooked. There is the way to avoid this undesirable effect : just “blanche” the garlic in some milk before use. The protein in the milk will fix themselves to the tannin contained in the garlic and anihilate its bitter touch. It is the same effect with milk in tea.
(Just in case blanching is bringing the milk to the boil put the garlic into it, bring it to the boil a second time then take the garlic out and cool it down quickly in some iced water)
Hope it helps
On November 1, 2007 at 6:09 pm TheCanadianFoodie said:
November 1, 2007 at 6:09 pm
Ferdzy: Great idea! I’ve acquired a taste for spreading it on bread to accompany a good pasta meal… I’m going to try doing a large batch next and then freezing it.
YannChef: Thanks for sharing! I have heard about blanching garlic in milk, but I’ve never noticed the bitter taste so haven’t tried it myself. Although, it may be that I just enjoy the bitterness :)
On June 24, 2008 at 4:50 pm Mel Monahan said:
June 24, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Another great use for scapes is adding them to a mixture of yellow and green beans (equal parts of each). Use only the young tender curled scapes; and cut them in lengths about equal to the beans. Snag the beans. Steam the mixture for about five minutes. Place in a dish and set aside.
When preparing the meal, place the bean/scape mixture in a skillet with a half pound of butter. Saute until tender, add salt to taste and bring to the table piping hot. Makes a great addition to a pork or chicken dinner. Enjoy!
On October 13, 2008 at 5:51 pm Selena said:
October 13, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Another great thing to do with your roasted garlic is to simply squeeze it out of the skin and into mashed potatoes! So simple, but so tasty!!
On November 25, 2008 at 2:05 pm Renee Barratt said:
November 25, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Love the garlic tips! Im a personal fan of roasted garlic with some goat cheese on toasted mutli-grain bread - delicious!