Wednesday, 12 October 2016

Two of my favourite things …

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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