Garlic Confit
-and ten luscious ways to spread the garlic love-
Confiting is a French method for covering foods in fat and cooking them at low heat. Unlike traditional oven-roasted garlic, garlic confit roasts slowly, which minimizes browning to yield a sweeter, more mellow garlic flavor.
Ingredients
-3 heads of garlic, cloves peeled (1 cup)
-3 fresh thyme sprigs
-2 small bay leaves
-2 tbl dried red pepper flakes
-1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Method
Combine all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan and simmer over very low heat until the garlic is tender but not browned, about 30 minutes.
Let cool.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the garlic and herbs to a glass jar. Add a couple of fresh thyme sprigs.
Pour the cooking oil on top, seal and refrigerate for up to 4 months or freeze for longer storage.
How to use your magic in a jar
Bruschetta: Spread directly onto toasted crusty ciabatta or baguette or sauté with garden fresh tomatoes and sweet basil and spoon onto toasted crusty bread
Roasted Vegetables: Toss raw vegetables with a spoonful of the confit oil, salt and pepper and roast. A the sliced confit to the roasted vegetables with a squirt of fresh lemon juice and pinch of coarse salt.
Pasta Aglio e Olio: For pasta aglio e olio, toss pasta with garlic confit and a little reserved pasta water. Add crushed red pepper flakes and chopped fresh Italian parsley and grated Parmesan.
Pizza: Spread sliced cloves over your homemade pizza dough before adding the rest of your toppings.
Garlic Bread: Blend equal parts garlic confit with softened butter, smear thickly across slabs of crusty bread and bake until crisp.
Polenta: Stir a spoonful of confit and its oil into polenta or risotto and finish with freshly grated nutty Parmesan.
Garlic Shrimp: Sauté shrimp with a spoonful of garlic confit and extra-virgin olive oil and a splash of lemon juice
Corn on the cob: Blend cloves into softened butter with a little lime zest, a dash of Old Bay seasoning or herbs de provence
Garlic Lemon Chicken: Mash up a few slices with some of the oil and mix with lemon juice, chili flakes and oregano or sage and rub onto chicken and roast.
Fingerling Potatoes: Toss raw potatoes with a spoonful of the oil plus a little extra olive oil if necessary, kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Roast until well browned, then toss with sliced cloves and chopped fresh
Now create 10 more ways of your own to spread the garlic love!