Roasted Garlic

by Shauna Sever — February 8, 2008

One of the easiest ways to add a burst of flavor to a meal is to add roasted garlic into the mix. When heads of fresh garlic are slowly roasted with a drizzle of olive oil and some seasoning, the cloves give up their spicy, pungent character and become soft, sweet, and mellow. You can spread whole roasted cloves on slices of toasted baguette, blend them into mashed potatoes, toss them with pasta...the possibilities are endless! This is one of my favorite ways to use roasted garlic--in a flavorful dip that's perfect with cocktails and a few great friends.

Roasted Garlic Bean Dip
3 medium heads garlic
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/3 cup light sour cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (190 degrees C).

To roast the garlic, remove the outer skins from the garlic heads. Trim about half an inch off of the tops of the heads, so the individual cloves are exposed. Drizzle the garlic with 2 tablespoons olive oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake for about 40 minutes, or until the cloves are soft when pressed.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, sauté onion with remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil until soft and lightly browned. Remove from heat.

Remove garlic cloves from their skin, and place in a blender or food processor with the grated onion, beans, cumin, and sour cream. Salt and pepper to taste. Blend to desired consistency. Refrigerate until serving. Serve at room temperature.