Oven-roasted garlic with olive oil

A jar of soft roasted garlic in the refrigerator is real flavor insurance. It turns a plain bowl of broth, a tray of vegetables, or a piece of fish into something you actually want to eat, and it asks almost nothing of you in return.

Garlic sits on the Core list and is often described as supporting immune function. What can be said plainly is the cooking: roasting tames the raw bite into something mild and sweet, and easier on a gut that is not tolerating much.

There is a small pleasure in this one. You cut the tops off the heads, you let them go soft and golden under foil, and then you squeeze the cloves out like paste. Slow food, made once, used all week.

Ingredients

• 3 whole heads of garlic
• 1.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley

Method

Heat the oven to 350 F.

Slice about a quarter inch off the top of each garlic head so the cloves are exposed. If you want to preserve more of the active compounds, let the cut heads rest about 10 minutes before they go in (a tip credited to Phoenix Helix; verify).

Set the heads cut side up in a small baking dish and drizzle each one with the olive oil. Cover the dish with foil and bake 30 minutes, then uncover and bake about 15 minutes more, until the cloves are tender and lightly browned.

Finish with the chopped parsley. To serve, squeeze the soft cloves out of their skins to eat as they are or to spread.

Air fryer variation

The air fryer roasts garlic heads nicely and a little faster. Drizzle the cut heads with oil, wrap each loosely in foil, and cook around 360 to 380 F for 20 to 30 minutes, until the cloves are soft and golden (air fryer time and temperature untested, estimated from the oven baseline; check at the early end and adjust). Open the foil for the last few minutes if you want more color.

*Adapted from a-squirrel-in-the-kitchen*