Garlic is an ingredient found at the base of so many recipes across the world. It is included in trinities from a number of cultural cuisines making it safe to say that garlic is everywhere!
I am of Italian heritage (southern Italy to be a bit more specific) and garlic is a staple in our kitchen. Just a little bit fried up in oil is fit to dress pasta, otherwise known as aglio e olio.
I can’t see myself ever not using garlic but I, personally, am not a fan of the harsh spicy notes that come from the raw, punctured flesh. Furthermore, peeling garlic bugs me. I don’t enjoy having to peel off a few cloves for each use and peeling too many at once puts them at risk of turning bad if not used up in time.
I learned a cool method to preserve garlic in oil while working at a catering venue many years back. It involves peeling a large amount of garlic, cooking them while submerged in oil and packing away into the fridge for use whenever a recipe calls for garlic.
Cooking garlic in oil over low heat allows the cloves to soften and caramelize, producing a sweet buttery flavour. The garlic cloves can be easily mashed into salads, soups and sauces. The garlic oil is an amazing substitute in many cooking applications and multiple end products from one method are always welcomed in my kitchen.
So check out the method I use for prepping and preserving garlic.
- Take a few bulbs, depending on how much you use in your cooking and peel them. There are many “hacks” to peeling garlic but the tried and true method for any chef is placing the garlic on a hard surface with the root facing up. Give a good whack to the garlic to release the cloves from the root. Most of the peel will crack off instantly and others will need some help with a knife to detach the roots from the skin.
- Put all the peeled cloves in a small sauce pot. For best results, you should use enough cloves to cover the bottom of the pot as a minimal amount.
- Cover the cloves so that they are fully submerged in the cooking oil. I typically use canola oil but you can choose any oil that doesn’t solidify when refrigerated.
- Heat the pot over medium high heat and once it begins to boil, lower to a gentle simmer. Once the cloves start to brown, remove from the heat, as they will continue to cook in the hot oil.
- Store the “roasted” garlic and garlic oil in an airtight container once cooled. Refrigerate and use in any recipe that calls for garlic.