Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

I recently bought a great big bag of Garlic at Cash and Carry and frankly I knew I couldn't use it up that fast. So, I decided to roast about 8 heads of it. The first night, we ate it spread on sliced toasted Baguettes (mine was Gluten Free) and then a few days later I added it to a Gravy for a Pork Roast. Finally, I decided to make a Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette and it was so delicious that is now one of my favorite Salad Dressings!  It emulsifies the Vinegar and Olive Oil making it rich and creamy. The roasted garlic flavor blends so well into the Vinaigrette that it doesn't have a strong garlic flavor. It's wonderful. I only made enough for a small salad so double this recipe if you are serving more than 2 people. I used it to dress a salad composed of Arugula, Baby Kale, Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Pine Nuts and I loved it!

Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

2 Heads of Roasted Garlic (recipe below) - individual cloves squeezed out (should equal about 3 heaping Tablespoons)
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt

In a mixing bowl, mash the Roasted Garlic with a fork. Add in the Olive Oil, Vinegar, Sugar and Salt.  Stir to combine and then use a stick blender to puree.  Serve over the Salad Greens of your choice.

Simple Roast Garlic

2 heads Garlic
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
sprinkling of Sea Salt

Heat the oven to 450 degrees  Cut the top 1/4 of the head of Garlic off to expose the Cloves. Place them into a piece of foil and drizzle the Olive Oil on top and wrap foil up around the garlic and seal. Place on a boing sheet and roast in the oven for 50 minutes. Remove from oven. Open the foil pouch and test the softness of the Garlic with a sharp knife. If it is soft enough, let cool. If it is still hard, return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Let cool until ready to use. The Roast Garlic can be made ahead of time and refrigerated. 

Five Element Analysis

Garlic belongs to the Metal Element and when it's cooked long and slow, it also caramelizes which gives it a bit of the Earth Element too. The Sugar brings in a bit more of the Earth Element and the Cucumbers add even more. The Fire Element is represented by the Arugula and the Tomatoes. The Olive Oil and Vinegar contribute the Wood Element as does the Baby Kale. Finally, the Pine Nuts make Sure the Water Element is present too!