The subtle yet recognizable taste of freshly roasted garlic is one that goes amazingly with a huge number of entrees, side dishes and snacks. The actual process of roasting the garlic might seem tricky at first, but any food lover will soon realize that there are plenty of ways to roast a fresh garlic bulb with ease. Since roasted garlic cloves become very soft compared to a raw bulb of garlic, you can easily turn the cloves themselves into a paste or sauce that can be spread or poured on top of steak, salad, fish and tons of other meals – continue reading if you are interested in making your own roasted garlic and using it with the best meals to create all sorts of intriguing flavors.
Roasting Garlic at Home
Roasting your own garlic at home is simple enough, but you will need to know a few things if you want to ensure that it comes out a success. You will need oil in order for the cloves to cook evenly, and you don’t even have to worry about taking the cloves out of the bulb until after cooking if you use the oven.
Roasted Garlic in the Oven
If you take an entire clove of garlic and cut the tops off of each clove (without actually removing the cloves from their peel) you can drip olive oil into the openings you have made and cook the whole bulb with great results. You will want a very sharp and, preferably, small knife to cut the tops off of the cloves without having to remove them, and you will want to lightly wrap or cover the bulb with tin foil before placing into a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes.
On the Grill
It’s a bit tough to cook an entire bulb on a grill because of the hotter temperatures and less control, but you can certainly take the cloves out and wrap them all up in foil for a great side dish of roasted garlic cloves. Sprinkle olive oil over all of the cloves, and wrap two layers of tin foil around the cloves – you will want to place them over a medium heat area of the grill, but be sure to keep the tin foil out of direct contact with fire as it may begin to melt. After about 20 minutes of solid cooking, you can unwrap the tin foil to reveal some deliciously roasted garlic cloves ready to be popped out of their peels and eaten.
Smashing roasted cloves down to a paste is a great way to preserve the flavor and use it to marinade or season a number of different dishes. Some roasted garlic paste goes great on a roasting steak, and you might also want to consider mixing the roasted garlic with butter for an amazing dip that can be used with crab, shrimp or just about any seafood dish. This butter garlic mixture can be put in the freezer for months at a time without losing it’s flavor, and it is also great to spread on bread for some delicious garlic bread in just a few minutes.