Friday, September 20, 2013

Roasted Garlic - 52 Simple But Next Level Dishes

Pin It Now!

Garlic... Love the stuff!

But when raw, it is a bit harsh.  It does always take just a bot of work.  Be careful and try to resist temptation and buy whole heads of garlic,  Avoid the prepackaged, pre minced jugs you can find in big box stores.  They are bitter and really do not cook up nice at all.  Totally different flavor than fresh.

Besides, Strings of whole heads are usually very inexpensive and once you get the hang of thin slicing and mincing, they are easy to work with.


And once you have tried this incredibly simple cooking technique for roasting garlic you end up with an almost sweet spreadable cloves.  Not even a tiny hint of the harsh raw taste... A FANTASTIC Treat!

As you can see from the photo to the left, my favorite use for roasted garlic is to simply spread on a lightly toasted piece of bread.  I drizzle a little olive oil on the bread, toast under a broiler and squeeze the fresh from the oven heads.  Spread like butter and you have a sweet, crispy treat.

But, once you crush into a paste (easy, crush with the flat of a chef's knife and instant paste), it adds a sweet garlic extra home made taste to any...

  1. Tub of Dip
  2. Store bought Hummus
  3. This makes amazing Garlic Mashed Potatoes
  4. Mix with butter for a sweet garlic butter
  5. Mix the paste with a pizza sauce OR Use whole heads around a sausage pizza
  6. Add whole heads and halved cherry tomatoes to some green beans for a wonderful vegetable treat
  7. Even served on a steak!
And best of all... This is very very easy to do...

Use whole heads of garlic.  Rub off the loose paper like skins, but leave some intact.


 Slice off about 1/4 inch of the top, exposing the garlic heads...
Get out an expensive Terra Cotta Garlic roaster (don't waste your money) or simply get a large sheet of aluminum foil and center the garlic on the foil...


 And generously drizzle olive oil over each of the heads,being sure to coat each individual exposed clove.
Add a pinch of Kosher Sea Salt to bring out the flavor...


And finally, a few turns of a fresh peppercorn grinder...

Next, wrap and seal the aluminum foil.  The Olive oil will steam the garlic, so put the seam side up or the oil will seep out into your oven.


Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Roast the aluminum pouch for 45 minutes

Pop out of the oven, open the pouch to cool slightly.  As soon as the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the bulb and each roasted garlic clove will just pop out.  No need to remove skins or anything more... 

Spread on toast and ENJOY!

Now that's simple and will certainly tale a simple piece of toast to an all new level!

******************************************************

This simple recipe has been added to my growing list of "52 Simple but Next Level Dishes"!

Kind of an odd title for these posts. But the longer sentence is... Simple recipes that are easy and inexpensive that will take your cooking to the next level... Things like easy pickled items (I always have a jar of Pickled Red Onions for sandwiches in my fridge). Or how about the easiest bread to make in the world... Beer Bread that is tasty on it's own but also makes a wonderful open face pizza style sandwich... With easy to make Tomato Sauce. Or how about Roasting Garlic for a spread on toast points for a unique appetizer. Infusing Oil with Herbs or spices or spicy peppers. Or how about making your own BBQ sauce. Nothing sets you apart as a grill master like setting out a jar of your own specialty BBQ Sauce.

You get the idea. These recipes are very simple, take very little time but will set you apart as a better cook...

***********************PINTEREST*********************

Come and find me on Pinterest... Any of my "52 Ways to cook" Boards are worth following.  If you like this post, please take a second and "Pin" this to your own boards... Better yet, if you are part of a foodie group board please take a second and add this post to your group pins... best way to show your Love!

And BTW, if you are not yet part of a group board, drop me an email at Contact@eRecipeCards.com and request to be added to my group board... FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGERS! (be sure to include your pinterest ID when you write)  Once you are added, any pins you add will be seen by 10s of THOUSANDS of followers of the board (and growing daily).

Rules, only 2... 
  1. In order to join you need to start following the group board as well as at least one of my boards.
  2. And you must ONLY pin original sources, posts from food related bloggers only.  If you are a blogger, this is a great way to have thousands of potential readers see your work,  If you are a fan of bloggers, a great way to share your favorites...
    Come and be a part of ... FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGERS! on Pinterest



No comments:

Post a Comment

FMP