Oven-Roasted Garlic in Olive Oil…for everyday cooking all year long. E.A.T. #51

~ Teresa Blackburn

This is a pantry basic in our kitchen here at Food on Fifth and has been for quite a few years. It’s easy and incredibly useful for everyday cooking. This pantry basic saves a lot of time, while combining two things we start most meals with….olive oil and garlic.

This all started when we were on a photo shoot a few years ago. The food client sent in a gigantic jar of fresh, whole, peeled garlic cloves. There were hundreds in the jar. We only used a few for the recipes we were preparing. We are a group who does not easily toss out good food. The last day we dumped all the garlic into a roasting pan, filled it with olive oil, completely covering the cloves, set the oven on 325 degrees and let the roasting do the rest. 45 minutes later we had a huge pan of perfectly roasted garlic. We let it cool down completely, divided it among canning jars and each of us took home our own little bit of heaven. Did I say how aromatic the studio was? People kept coming back and asking us what that aroma was all day…just garlic.

So now I do this on a regular basis so I always have garlic roasted in olive oil in my fridge. I don’t have access to a gigantic jar of fresh garlic cloves, but a few local import markets have pretty nice sized jars of peeled, fresh garlic as do some larger supermarkets. As I scoop out of the jar to use when cooking, I always add a bit of olive oil back to the jar so the garlic is always covered completely to keep the contents from going “bad”. It works like a charm. It is as easy-as-this every time.

Jars filled with roasted garlic and olive oil, topped off with additional oil. Scoop out a spoonful of garlic and olive oil and add to pasta sauces, smear on a chicken before cooking, on toasted bread with a slice of cheese and avocado…so many uses. When I cook fresh garden peas or beans a dollop gets added to the cooking liquid…I have even tossed a few spoonfuls with hot pasta, then topping with a generous grating of Parmigiana Reggiano, chopped parsley and lots of freshly ground black pepper for a very amazing bowl of pasta. Oh my…so good.
Pantry/refrigerator garlic cloves in olive oil tossed with just-picked baby tomatoes ready for herbs and baking….this quick and easy recipe next post. Stay cool, be safe and be well….take it easy.

Oven-Roasted Garlic in Olive Oil

Ingredients: 3-4 cups fresh, peeled garlic cloves + enough olive oil to cover while roasting + extra oil for jars for storing

Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place garlic cloves and enough olive oil to cover them in an oven proof pan. Roast garlic for 30-45 minutes, or until cloves are softened and a light golden brown. Remove pan from oven. Let cool completely. Divide roasted garlic cloves with roasting oil between glass jars. Top off jars with more oil. Cover jars with tight-fitting lids and refrigerate.

I have kept jars of this roasted garlic in olive for months and continually use. Just be sure to top of the jar with enough fresh olive oil to keep cloves submerged/covered between uses.

Gifting? yes this is a great gift for any of your friends who love to cook and love their garlic.

teresablackburnfoodstyling.com

10 thoughts on “Oven-Roasted Garlic in Olive Oil…for everyday cooking all year long. E.A.T. #51”

  1. I love cooking garlic this way. Do you remember the recipe we tested years ago — braised greens (spinach and bok choy) with polenta and roasted garlic? I think it was from Steve Petusevsky. Delicious. I want it for dinner tonight! Thanks for reminding me that I need a roasted garlic fix.

    Reply

    1. Yes, yes Candace I do remember that! Wonderful recipe from Steve. Thanks for stopping by and it was so great to see you recently..you are the hostess with the most-ess…xo

      Reply

  2. A lovely idea! I think I can smell the aroma all the way here in Vermont! My only caution would be to have folks check the source of their garlic. Peeled garlic from China has a bad reputation for contamination and other issues.

    Reply

    1. Wow Dorothy, I had no idea, but truly I do look a the source of most foods when I buy them and try my best to keep the source as close to home as possible. It is so hard to know the true source when companies buy from so many sources and re-package isn’t it? I appreciate your insight and for sharing. Thanks for stopping by for a visit here at Food on Fifth. T

      Reply

      1. The sourcing truly is a problem, and I think in this case it is deliberately deceptive. There are large companies here in the United States that buy from China and label it as “packaged” here. I was clueless, but a friend told me about this (she loves to buy already peeled garlic) and I did a little research. There’s a lot of information out there on the web, even some documentaries, and I was truly amazed because I was under the impression that foods from China in particular needed to be labeled as such.Just another reason to buy local as you say!

  5. It appears that my comment form the other day didn’t go through. Thank you for your idea of preserving the garlic in olive oil.

    Reply
  6. Pingback: Quick and Easy Cast-Iron Garlic and Herb Roasted Tomatoes | food on fifth

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