Roasted Garlic and Roasted Garlic Oil

This recipe could be called roasted garlic oil or roasted garlic because either way you end up with two intensely flavoured garlic pantry preserves. This two-in-one method is a must for garlic lovers. The long slow cooking in the oil sweetens and intensifies the garlic flavour. Its aroma will waft through the kitchen and tantalise the senses.

Our garlic is harvested late spring/early summer and there’s always enough to preserve. The paste can be used in salad dressing, in dips, spread on bruschetta, as an alternative to fresh garlic in recipes. While the roasted garlic oil is perfect in salad dressings, drizzled over cooked meat, fish and vegies and pasta as a finishing oil.

Confit of Garlic is another handy preserving technique to ensure the pantry always has some on hand.

Preparation Time:: 30 minutes

Cooking Time:: 40 minutes

Quantity:: 2 x 300 ml jars plus I x 300 ml bottle

PREPARATION

Select smaller jars and bottles for this preserve

Sterilise good quality sealable jars, bottles and non-reactive lids.

INGREDIENTS

6-8: Garlic bulbs, whole, fresh

2-3 cups: Olive oil

4 sprigs: Oregano, fresh

4 sprigs: Thyme, fresh

METHOD

If using home grown garlic, the bulbs will have to be cleaned and the roots connected to the flat underground stem removed. Cut into the bulb to remove this root section and ensure there is no dirt or grit left behind. Refer to the Notes section below: How to Clean Home Grown Bulbs for more information.
If using purchased garlic, remove the excess external papery skin.
Regardless of which type of garlic you are using proceed as follows. Working with the whole garlic bulb, slice off the top 1.25 cm (½ inch) of each head so that each clove is cut through. Arrange whole bulbs in an oven proof container so that each is sitting flat and snuggled up to each other.
Spread the washed herbs over the garlic and pour over the olive oil. Use enough oil so that the bulbs are almost but not covered. If the dish is too large, the bulbs will be spread out and you will use a lot of olive oil to get the level to the right height to poach the garlic while cooking. If you want to produce a lot of roasted garlic oil that may not be a problem, but it will take more oil than specified in the recipe as they must be covered with oil to the specified level.
Cover tightly with foil and cook until the garlic is soft. Remove the foil and turn the oven up to 200 degrees Celsius (400 F) for approximately 10 minutes or until the garlic is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to rest until the bulbs are cool enough to handle.
Place a cake rack over a baking tray. Remove the bulbs, turn upside down and place on the cake rack for approximately 5 minutes to drain any excess oil captured inside.
At this point I usually put on food grade gloves.
Remove each clove from the bulb and gently squeeze out the garlic pulp into a bowl. Discard the empty garlic bulbs and herbs.
Transfer the pulp into a clean sterilised jar and fill to approximately 2.5cm (1 inch) from the top of the bottle. Gently push down the paste and pour additional cooked oil over the top to ensure the garlic is completely covered.
Strain the remaining oil through a fine sieve and pour into a sterilised bottle.
Seal, label, and store in the fridge. Use within 4 weeks.

NOTES

Select large garlic bulbs as these will be easier to work with and will provide a greater quantity of garlic pulp for your effort.
How to Clean Home Grown Garlic
- Remove excess dried papery skin (but not all ) from the bulb.
- Hold the upside-down bulb in one hand and using a small sharp paring knife gently dig into and around the root area. Remove the dried root ball. This may take a couple of attempts before it is all removed.
- Ensure that any dirty/gritty areas have been completely removed.
- As the whole bulb will sit in and be poached in oil, you do not want to have a gritty oil.
- Even though it will be strained, it’s better to have as little contaminants as possible to start with.
- Gently wash the whole bulbs and stand upside down so that any excess moisture drains out.
- The bulbs are now ready to be used in Step 2 of the recipe.
The cooking time is an approximation only. Test the garlic is soft either with a skewer or point of a sharp knife.
I used an oven proof tray that was 25 x17 cm and 6 cm deep. This used 2 ½ cups of oil
This recipe uses 100% olive oil. However, you can substitute the same quantity with 50% olive oil and 50% neutral vegetable such as canola, rice bran oil or equivalent. The final oil will have a lighter olive oil flavour but will still have that same intense garlic flavour.
Olive oil is light sensitive, so the strained final oil should be stored either in the fridge or a cool dark pantry space. If stored in direct sun light it quickly degrades in colour and flavour.
The garlic paste must be completely covered by olive oil, after each time some is used, make sure the remaining paste is pressed down again and completely covered by the oil.

Roasted Garlic and Roasted Garlic Oil

Confit of Garlic is another handy preserving technique to ensure the pantry always has some on hand.

Preparation Time:: 30 minutes

Cooking Time:: 40 minutes

Quantity:: 2 x 300 ml jars plus I x 300 ml bottle

PREPARATION:

Select smaller jars and bottles for this preserve

Sterilise good quality sealable jars, bottles and non-reactive lids.

INGREDIENTS:

Garlic bulbs, whole, fresh: 6-8

Olive oil: 2-3 cups

Oregano, fresh: 4 sprigs

Thyme, fresh: 4 sprigs

METHOD:

If using home grown garlic, the bulbs will have to be cleaned and the roots connected to the flat underground stem removed. Cut into the bulb to remove this root section and ensure there is no dirt or grit left behind. Refer to the Notes section below: How to Clean Home Grown Bulbs for more information.
If using purchased garlic, remove the excess external papery skin.
Regardless of which type of garlic you are using proceed as follows. Working with the whole garlic bulb, slice off the top 1.25 cm (½ inch) of each head so that each clove is cut through. Arrange whole bulbs in an oven proof container so that each is sitting flat and snuggled up to each other.
Spread the washed herbs over the garlic and pour over the olive oil. Use enough oil so that the bulbs are almost but not covered. If the dish is too large, the bulbs will be spread out and you will use a lot of olive oil to get the level to the right height to poach the garlic while cooking. If you want to produce a lot of roasted garlic oil that may not be a problem, but it will take more oil than specified in the recipe as they must be covered with oil to the specified level.
Cover tightly with foil and cook until the garlic is soft. Remove the foil and turn the oven up to 200 degrees Celsius (400 F) for approximately 10 minutes or until the garlic is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to rest until the bulbs are cool enough to handle.
Place a cake rack over a baking tray. Remove the bulbs, turn upside down and place on the cake rack for approximately 5 minutes to drain any excess oil captured inside.
At this point I usually put on food grade gloves.
Remove each clove from the bulb and gently squeeze out the garlic pulp into a bowl. Discard the empty garlic bulbs and herbs.
Transfer the pulp into a clean sterilised jar and fill to approximately 2.5cm (1 inch) from the top of the bottle. Gently push down the paste and pour additional cooked oil over the top to ensure the garlic is completely covered.
Strain the remaining oil through a fine sieve and pour into a sterilised bottle.
Seal, label, and store in the fridge. Use within 4 weeks.

NOTES:

Select large garlic bulbs as these will be easier to work with and will provide a greater quantity of garlic pulp for your effort.
How to Clean Home Grown Garlic
- Remove excess dried papery skin (but not all ) from the bulb.
- Hold the upside-down bulb in one hand and using a small sharp paring knife gently dig into and around the root area. Remove the dried root ball. This may take a couple of attempts before it is all removed.
- Ensure that any dirty/gritty areas have been completely removed.
- As the whole bulb will sit in and be poached in oil, you do not want to have a gritty oil.
- Even though it will be strained, it’s better to have as little contaminants as possible to start with.
- Gently wash the whole bulbs and stand upside down so that any excess moisture drains out.
- The bulbs are now ready to be used in Step 2 of the recipe.
The cooking time is an approximation only. Test the garlic is soft either with a skewer or point of a sharp knife.
I used an oven proof tray that was 25 x17 cm and 6 cm deep. This used 2 ½ cups of oil
This recipe uses 100% olive oil. However, you can substitute the same quantity with 50% olive oil and 50% neutral vegetable such as canola, rice bran oil or equivalent. The final oil will have a lighter olive oil flavour but will still have that same intense garlic flavour.
Olive oil is light sensitive, so the strained final oil should be stored either in the fridge or a cool dark pantry space. If stored in direct sun light it quickly degrades in colour and flavour.
The garlic paste must be completely covered by olive oil, after each time some is used, make sure the remaining paste is pressed down again and completely covered by the oil.