How to Roast Garlic and How to Use It

This is a garlic lover’s dream—whole bulbs of roasted garlic to do with whatever you wish. Adapted from For the Love of Garlic: The Complete Guide to Garlic Cuisineby Victoria Renoux.

Peel the loose outer paper from 2 to 3 large garlic bulbs and cut about ¼ inch off the tops to expose some of the cloves. Drizzle each bulb with ½ teaspoon olive oil.

Place the bulbs in a terra cotta garlic roaster or wrap them in aluminum foil. Bake in a preheated 350˚F over for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the garlic is soft. Note that it takes a little longer to bake garlic in a terra cotta garlic roaster than in foil.

Serve the garlic immediately, either from the roaster or arranged on a plate. To release the soft roasted garlic flesh from the cloves, simply squeeze them. Squeeze any leftover cloves into a small covered and refrigerate up to a few days.

Variation:

If you prefer to roast the cloves individually, separate them from the raw bulb and arrange on a sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with the oil and fold the foil around them to form a closed pouch. Bake in a preheated 350˚F oven for about 20-30 minutes, or until soft.

Ten Ways to Use Roasted Garlic:

• Add to almost any soup, especially blender soups that contain potatoes
• Stir into cooked rice, beans, and vegetables
• Add to mashed potatoes
• Add to salad dressings, dips, and spreads
• Spread on bread and top with slices of tomato and fresh basil
• Spread on pizza dough before adding the other ingredients.
• Mix with Earth Balance and spread on grilled corn-on-the-cob
• Mix with a little olive oil and toss with cooked pasta just before serving
• Add to a white sauce
• Mix with vegan sour cream and serve over baked potatoes