Garlic Confit - Roasted Garlic Cooked in Olive Oil

I'm leaving home to teach for two weeks and I've been trying to use up things that that are perishable and won't be used by my son while I'm gone. Recently, I went a splurge and bought a lot of Garlic. Chances are it will stay good while I'm gone, but some of them looked like they might sprout, so I made Garlic Confit. That's just a really fancy name for Roasting Garlic in Olive Oil. You simply cover Garlic Cloves with Olive Oil to cover and then roast it low and slow. I did cut the largest Garlic Cloves in half to remove the Green piece of new Garlic that was growing, as that makes the Garlic bitter.

Once the Garlic is roasted in the Olive Oil until soft and browned, it can be used in any number of ways and the remaining Olive Oil is full of Garlic flavor and wonderful for stir-frying. It's also so simple to make Garlic Confit, I don't know why I don't do it more often!  Personally, I love to mash Roasted Garlic up and add it with the Oil to Salad Dressings and I also use both the Garlic and Garlic Oil in pasta dishes. My son loves it on a toasted Baguette, with some of the Olive Oil and a sprinkling of Maldon Sea Salt - it's  so delicious. So, I know he'll eat it cup while I'm away!

Garlic Confit - Roasted Garlic Cooked in Olive Oil

1 large head of Garlic - about 10 cloves, peeled

Olive Oil to cover

Heat the oven to 250 degrees

Place Garlic Cloves in a heat proof baking dish and just cover with Olive Oil. Cook for 1 hour or until the Garlic Cloves are golden brown and soft. Remove from the oven and put into a jar and keep in the refrigerator.

Five Element Analysis

Garlic belongs to the Metal Element and Olive Oil to the Wood Element so be sure to add the Garlic and the Oil to a meal where you also incorporate the other Three Elements of Water, Fire and Earth. That's why I use both the Garlic and the Garlic Oil in a big salad.