Olive Oil-Roasted Whole Garlic
Once you see how simple and quick this is, you won’t know how you lived without it.
One of my first jobs in the kitchen was working for a higher-end restaurant that served Italian as well as some South American dishes. I loved it because we made everything from scratch. I remember the prep cooks filling hotel pans with whole heads of garlic and fresh rosemary sprigs, pouring olive oil, filling the pans (gallons!) going into the oven to roast. Out would emerge this unctuous aroma filling the kitchen. The roasted oil went into pretty bottles to be used on the tables with bread service. The soft and golden garlic cloves into pans on the line, to be added to wood-fired pizzas, pasta dishes and dressings.
Today I just like having the roasted garlic on hand when I want that garlic flavor in a more subtle way. if you have your oven on anyway, just pop a couple in and see what results. You’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.
Olive Oil Roasted Whole Garlic
Ingredients
- 2 whole heads fresh garlic
- 1⁄4 cup olive oil
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary, optional
Method
- Preheat the oven to 300º F.
- Cut the pointed tops off of each head of garlic, exposing the cloves.
- Place in a small baking dish.
- Add enough olive oil to reach the tops of the garlic. Add the rosemary sprig if desired.
- Loosely cover with foil, making sure to not come in contact with the garlic.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until garlic is golden and very soft.
- Allow to cool completely. Remove the garlic heads from the oil, dry with paper towels and squeeze out the garlic cloves. They will slide out in whole pieces. Reserve in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- Also reserve the fragrant olive oil, use for salads or finishing any dish.
