Roasted Garlic

I always have many different ingredients on hand in my kitchen because I constantly cook with them. One of them is garlic which I keep in my little garlic “house”. I love garlic because of its taste but also for its nutrients and health benefits. It has vitamin B and C plus important minerals such as calcium, iron, manganese, phosphorus and zinc.
 
It also helps to reduce high blood pressure. Unfortunately my mother suffers from low blood pressure so she has to stay away from garlic or have very little of it. On the other hand, my cousins who both have high cholesterol, started to increase their garlic intake along with 1 tablespoon of raw oats in the morning. That was the only thing they changed and their doctor couldn’t believe the positive results. I wish they could reduce their sodium intake a little…
 
Apparently another positive aspect of garlic is it can reduce the risk of digestive tract cancer and strengthen your immune system. My grandmother was a firm believer of drinking boiled garlic water during the cold season. Very seldom did she ever have a cold…
 
Garlic can be cooked in many different ways: fried, sautéed, boiled, or baked and if used raw, they can be blanched. Here are a few methods I like to use for my Roasted Garlic!
 
There’s the famous one with a whole head of garlic wrapped in foil. If you want to stay away from the aluminum, you can always wrap it first with parchment paper and then foil. Another method I use is to place them in a loaf pan and then cover with parchment, then foil. Even just foil is fine because it doesn’t touch the garlic. The other alternative is with a muffin pan where I place my heads of garlic and then cover again with parchment and foil. This was one of my aunt’s favorite ways to cook hers because she was always roasting a lot at the same time and froze them for later use. A cooking vessel I like to use for my Roasted Garlic is my mini cocotte and simply put the lid on.
 
There are a couple stove top methods to roast them. If you only need a couple cloves you can just dry-roast them by placing them in a small skillet over medium heat leaving the skin on and sautéing until they are blackened on all sides. They won’t be as caramelized as they would be in the oven but it’s a quick way to get some for a recipe – it takes about 20 minutes. You can also add a few to a small skillet on medium heat with about 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of canola, grapeseed or olive oil. When it just starts to sizzle, turn the heat down to medium-low and toss them around in oil to coat. When done (about 30 minutes or so), remove them with a slotted spoon. Don’t throw your garlic infused-oil, keep it a in glass jar for other recipes like soups, meat, vegetables, dressing, etc…
 
Every time I roasted garlic, I either pour on a little oil or even water which cuts down on the calories. I also like to have fun with it by mixing in some herbs with my oil or water… why not! It gives a very subtle flavor to the garlic. You can also add a little Chili Oil to it…
 
Roasted Garlic is amazing and can be used in so many recipes like in Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Hummus, etc. Choose between the different methods above and freeze them so you can always have some on hand for your recipes…
Bon Appétit!
 
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and for more handy kitchen tips and tricks, click on this link… Recipe Category • Tips & Tricks
 
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