Today is National Garlic Day and I love this day so much. I’m the kind of girl who chuckles to herself when a recipe calls for only one clove of garlic, and my better half buys a head of garlic every time he goes to the store, because he has learned over the years that we always need it. He likes to save steps.
People all over the country will be going to garlic festivals celebrating “the stinking rose” in all its forms, especially my favorite style of garlic: roasted garlic.
Roasted garlic went through kind of a phase in the 1980s, and you can find those little terra-cotta roasters at every garage sale you visit, but you don’t need one to roast up a big batch of good for you garlic; in fact, all you need is a piece of foil. And baking up roasted garlic is one of the best things you can do to liven up your weekly menu, too. Here are some Flatout recipes that would be amazing with a little extra garlic punch:
The Bacon Kimchi Foldit has a lot of garlic going on, but what’s another little pinch going to harm? http://www.flatoutbread.com/recipes/bacon-kimchi-bkt-foldit/
This Lamb Sausage Flatbread with Za’Atar would be unbelievable with some roasted garlic spread over the flatbread first. http://www.flatoutbread.com/recipes/flatbread-lamb-sausage-zaatar/
And you could turn this simple Warm Ham and Brie Foldit on its heels with a schmear of garlic, too. http://www.flatoutbread.com/recipes/warm-ham-brie-apple-butter-foldit/
Here’s how to make roasted garlic:
Turn your oven on to 400 F. While the oven is heating, gather up your whole heads of garlic and slide off as much of the loose outer ‘paper’ as possible. With a knife, trim about 1/4” off the tops of each head, and arrange on the foil. Drizzle a little olive oil over each head, and fold up the foil over them, pinching the packet closed. Bake garlic a minimum of 40 minutes, longer if you want deep, nutty brown garlic.
Cloves will be soft enough and oh, so delightfully gooey, so you can spread them on your favorite flatbread, pizza, or wrap for a burst of flavor without the calories. I will take flatbread, cut them up into chips, and bake them until crisp just to dip into a warm head of garlic as an afternoon snack, or with a rich glass of wine before dinner. Cheers!
This year, for the first time, I’m growing my own garlic, which in my zone you have to plant in the fall for summer harvest. As I look out my window, the little bulbs I planted in the fall are almost 6” high with little green shoots! Last year, I bought a nice selection of heirloom variety seed garlic here, at a little farm that specializes in growing garlic just for planting. I can hardly wait for July!
(When buying garlic to eat, I stay away from all garlic with completely smooth bottoms, and absolutely no roots whatsoever. I look for garlic that still has the little furry roots in place. The totally smooth garlic was grown overseas, usually China, and was irradiated in order to be allowed into the US. No one needs to eat irradiated food!)
Here at Flatout, we like to keep food fresh, healthy, and easy to prepare at home with quality ingredients you care about, especially if it includes my favorite ingredient, the stinking rose.
-Amy at Flatout
