You might be thinking ‘I know how to make roasted garlic’. But do you know why you should keep a jar of roasted garlic cloves in the fridge or freezer? When whole bulbs of garlic drizzled with a little olive the cloves become caramelised when slowly roasted in the oven. The caramelised roasted garlic cloves become sweet with a more complex flavour and the texture becomes buttery and spreadable. Conveinience is another reason to prepare in bulk and roasted garlic cloves can be stored in a jar or container covered with olive oil for up to two weeks in the fridge. For longer term storage, they can be frozen in olive oil for up to 4 months.
Roasted garlic cloves can be added to dressings and salsas, blended through a creamy mayo or used instead of fresh garlic in my favourite dip Hummus.
How to Roast Garlic
Method
- Gather your ingredients
Unless you are freezing the roasted garlic cloves, decide how many cloves you will use within a few weeks. Choose an olive oil that you like the taste of.
- Sort your equipment
-Cutting board and knife
-Jar or container suitable for the fridge or freezing
-Roasting tray and baking paper ( makes cleaning easier ) - Pre-heat the oven
160ºC fan forced, oven rack in the middle of the oven
- Prepare the garlic
Trim the tops off the bulbs of garlic so you expose the tops of the cloves
Drizzle each bulb with olive oil and arrange on the lined baking tray and roast in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until soft and caramelised. - Store the garlic cloves
Use the tip of sharp knife or a skewer to remove the cloves from the skins. Pack into a sterilised jar or container with cloves and top with olive oil. Make sure there are no air pockets and all the cloves are submerged below the surface of the oil.
