Oven-roasted garlic – buttery soft and sweet-nutty

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 1 garlic bulb(s)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• aluminum foil

Instructions

Working time approx. 5 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 35 minutes; Total time approx. 40 minutes

versatile

Cut squares from the aluminum foil, one for each garlic bulb. Remove the outer skins from the garlic bulb, but leave the cloves in their individual skins! Cut off the tip of the garlic bulb. Place one garlic bulb on each aluminum foil square on a baking sheet. Pour about 2 teaspoons of olive oil over the cloves for each garlic bulb. Then fold up the edges of the aluminum foil and wrap the bulb in the aluminum foil, leaving the top slightly open so that the cut edges can brown. Roast on the baking sheet in a preheated oven at 200°C (top/bottom heat) for about 30 to 35 minutes, until the garlic cloves are soft. If the garlic is getting too brown, you can close the top of the aluminum foil for the last few minutes. Then remove from the oven and let it cool until the foil is safe to touch. Remove the garlic from the foil. The cloves are now buttery soft and should be easy to remove from their skins using a small spoon or butter knife. I always make a few bulbs at a time and store the roasted garlic cloves in a small jar in the fridge. The roasted garlic has many uses: You can crush the warm garlic clove on fresh bread, sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt, and enjoy. Sprinkle it on pizza dough right before adding all the other ingredients. It tastes good in pasta sauce, mashed potatoes, soups, sauces, and casseroles. Or mixed with butter and a little sea salt on grilled corn on the cob or baked potatoes. You can also use it in dips, like homemade hummus. My tip for a great starter before an Italian meal: Serve the whole garlic bulb with a bowl of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and sea salt with a few slices of ciabatta. Dip the garlic directly into the bread from the bulb.