When I was searching for a way to make my own garlic-flavored olive oil, I came across this technique that produces roasted garlic at the same time. Then I decided I wanted to make garlic bread with all my roasted garlic and developed a spread to use it.
Roasted garlic can be used wherever you want a subtle garlic flavor that doesn’t have the harshness of raw garlic. I especially like it mixed into goat cheese or cream cheese with herbs. The garlic oil can be used in almost any savory dish to add a little extra flavor. I pour a couple of tablespoons of it over vegetables before I roast them and use it in salad dressing. Stored in the fridge, the oil and the roasted garlic will keep about a month.
Roasted Garlic and Garlic Oil
Remove any excess papery skin from a head of garlic and cut the head in half.
Place cut side down in a small baking dish and pour 1 cup olive oil over it. (I’m doing 2 heads of garlic and 2 c. oil here.) You can add additional seasonings, such as a sprig of thyme, if you like.
Cover the dish with foil and bake at 300 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes. (The garlic is done when it’s soft.) Be careful when removing the foil that you don’t burn yourself on the steam. Let the garlic cool until you can handle it safely. Remove the garlic from its skin and place into a bowl; you can try squeezing it out of the skin, but I find it easier to pull the cloves out with a sharp knife.
Filter the oil by pouring it into a funnel lined with a coffee filter.
Store the oil and garlic cloves in the fridge for up to a month. The oil tends to solidify in the fridge, so I usually microwave it for 30 seconds before I use it.
Roasted Garlic Spread
Mash up 1 tablespoon roasted garlic with a fork; mix in 1/2 cup softened butter or margarine, 1/4 c. shredded Parmesan, and 3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning. (I’ve tried doing this in the blender and food processor and the fork method works the best.)
Spread on slices of bread and toast under the broiler or on the grill until browned. You can also cut a loaf of French bread into slices, spread each one with this, wrap loaf in foil, and bake until warmed through.
This freezes well; I make a large batch of it and freeze it in 1/2 pint canning jars until needed.
See this recipe on Farm Bell Recipes for the printable and to save it to your recipe box:
Garlic Oil & Garlic Spread
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Kathi N says:
This looks good. Thank you for the idea. We’ll try it!
On May 30, 2012 at 9:16 am
murphala says:
Fabulous idea! I adore garlic, and this would be a nice way to have all possible incarnations in one step! Thanks STH! (PS I’ve been waiting eagerly for your post!)
On May 30, 2012 at 10:47 am
STH says:
Thanks, Kathi and Murphala! FYI, my next post will include another way to use the roasted garlic!
On May 30, 2012 at 11:09 am
Robin from Rurification says:
Garlic is one of my favorite vegetables. We toss it in whenever we roast anything. I love the way the house smells when we’ve got a bowl of garlic roasting.
On May 31, 2012 at 6:54 am
STH says:
I love it, too, Robin–one of my favorite meals is roasted vegetables and sausage and I always throw some whole garlic cloves in the pan with the veg.
I remembered this morning something that I’d forgotten to include in this post: when I make Suzanne’s Pepperoni, Sausage, and Cheese Rolls (http://chickensintheroad.com/cooking/pepperoni-sausage-ricotta-and-mozzarella-roll/), instead of brushing them with olive oil and sprinkling with herbs, I melt some of my garlic spread in the microwave and brush that on the rolls. Yum!
On June 1, 2012 at 4:20 pm