Updated June 2014

Roasted garlic is a flavorful and healthy ingredient that’s really easy to cook.  You can make it whenever you have the oven going and store it in the refrigerator for later use.  Garlic acquires a mild sweet flavor when roasted, so it’s a very versatile ingredient for many recipes including sauces, soups and appetizer spreads.  It can add great flavor to low fat and vegetarian recipes.

Some of my favorite uses for roasted garlic are tasty Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and for a milder version of our Fresh Pesto Sauce.  My wife loves it as a spread on slices of a good sourdough baguette.

The health benefits of garlic are widely documented.  According to Roasted Garlic Express, there are "over 2000 published papers that document the health promoting properties of eating garlic."  The list includes:

• "boosts the immune system"

• "increases red blood cells"

• "helps thin the blood to reduce clotting"

• "helps lower blood pressure"

• "lowers bad cholesterol and raises good cholesterol"

• "lowers the risk of stomach and colon cancer"

Reasons that this Roasted Garlic Recipe is Eco Friendly

• Vegetables are low carbon producing foods.

• No disposable packaging to recycle or throw away.

• Dry garlic is light so transportation pollution is minimized.

Reasons that this Roasted Garlic Recipe is Healthy

• The health benifits of garlic are widely documented. A great antioxidant high in vitamins C and B6 as well as manganese, selenium and calcium. These may lower risks to heart disease and many forms of cancer.

• No preservatives or pesticides if using organic ingredients.

Ingredients:
2 large bulbs of garlic
2 tsp. olive oil

Recipe Summary:
Prep Time:  15 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes
Makes 1/3 cup garlic spread

Directions:
Rub and peel away the loose dry outer layers of skin from the garlic bulb.  Cut the top half-inch off of each bulb (pointed end) to expose some of the cloves.  Place the garlic in the center of the aluminum foil sheet and turn up the edges to make a shallow boat.  Pour a teaspoon of olive oil over each garlic bulb.  Carefully fold the aluminum foil over the garlic to make a snug pouch.  Place the pouch directly onto your oven rack.

Roast for about one hour at 375 degrees, until the garlic is soft.  Remove the pouch from the oven and allow it to cool before handling.  When cool, you can gently squeeze the garlic out of the individual cloves.

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container.