A recipe is merely words on paper; a guideline, a starting point from which to improvise. It cannot pretend to replace the practiced hand and telling glance of a watchful cook. For that reason, this is also an account of what happens when I make this dish, so youll understand each step. Of course when you cook it once, it becomes yours, so personalize it a bit. Add more of an ingredient you like or less of something you dont like. Try substituting one ingredient for another. Remember words have no flavour, you have to add your own!
If you like garlic bread youll love the rich mellow flavour of this version. Because the garlic is roasted first it loses its intense pungency but retains its distinctive taste. Its just what you need to mop up tomato sauce from a pasta feed!
Directions for: Roast Garlic Bread
Ingredients
4 heads of garlic
A few drizzles of olive oil
A stick of softened butter (four ounces)
1 handful of minced flat leaf parsley
1 loaf of Italian bread
Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Slice the top half-inch or so off of each head of garlic exposing the cloves within. Use a serrated knife if you have one; its easier. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over each head. Bake until golden brown, about thirty minutes. Let the garlic heads rest for a few minutes, until theyre cool enough to handle.
2. Grasp each head in the palm of your hand and squeeze the soft garlic into a bowl. Youll probably need to fish out a few stray pieces of peel. Add the butter, parsley and a touch of salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
3. Make a long lengthwise cut into the bread loaf along one side only and open it up like a book. Spread half of the butter onto one half of the bread then close the loaf and bake it until it heats through, about ten to fifteen minutes. Save the other half for the next loaf.
See more: Appetizer, Rice/Grain, North American, Dinner, Lunch, Vegetarian, Eggs/Dairy, Side, Vegetables, Quick and Easy, Bake