in my staples stash - one for the freezer and one for the pantry.
Baked garlic
Is
there anyone out there who hates faffing with peeling and chopping 1
or 2 cloves of garlic for one recipe? I bake whole bulbs of garlic
at the same time – see recipe attached – it's not rocket science
and I think originally this recipe was also used by Nigel
Slater. If you use garlic
regularly this paste makes life so easy when you've no time.
Baked
Garlic
2
bulbs of garlic
olive
oil/rapeseed oil for drizzling
2-3
sprigs of fresh thyme - optional
salt
and black pepper
Pre-heat
your oven to 200c/180f/Gas 6.
Slice
the tops off the bulbs and place the in a small oven dish, garlic
roaster or foil dish so that they fit snugly. Drizzle with oil and
season with thyme, salt and black pepper.
Roast
in the oven for about an hour – until the garlic has softened.
Squeeze
the garlic out of its skin. Add a little more oil , keep in a
tightly fitting container and place in the fridge.
You
can use the paste in the same way as you'd use fresh garlic – the
difference is that the baked garlic is sweeter and ready to use!
The
paste will keep in your fridge for one to two weeks or you can freeze
in small containers.
Speaking
of small containers - check out the baby aisle in the
supermarket/cheap shops for tiny pots – inexpensive and don't take
up space in your freezer.
Star Anise
Lots
of Asian/Indian/fusion recipes include star anise. These pretty star
shapes are readily available in most supermarkets but, if you are
fortunate enough to have access to a Chinese supermarket you can buy
ground star anise which is much more practical when you want a quick
marinade – you'll get a more powerful result from using powdered
star anise when you're in a hurry. Note to self – remember that
it's more practical to buy herbs and spices in small quantities.
They will deteriorate and so is a false economy - unless you've
friends you can share with – in which case it's cheaper still.
I
promise you won't regret either!
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