A Recipe for Ingredients: Garlic Confit and Garlic Oil

This is my most unusual post yet. It is a recipe for an ingredient. Actually, 2 ingredients. I know, it sounds weird to have to make ingredients, but we do this quite often, and indeed, you have to make it often and in small batches, as the product will only keep for 10 days in the refrigerator. But oh, in those 10 days, the wonderful and marvelous things you will think to do with this magical ingredient!


I am talking about garlic flavored oil and its delicious byproduct, garlic confit. After making it, we can’t help but stand around the stove top dipping crusty bread into the oil, and smearing the soft cloves of garlic on the bread. Then we store it in an airtight container in the fridge for several days, or until it is used up, which typically comes first. It is aromatic, nutty in flavor, delicious in soup, pasta, salads, drizzled on roasted or grilled vegetables, or just for dipping your bread into.


Garlic Confit and Garlic Oil

1 cup extra virgin olive oil
20 cloves of garlic (more or less), peeled

Place the garlic cloves in a saucepan, and completely cover with olive oil. Place on the stove top and bring to a simmer. Allow garlic and oil to remain on the burner for about ½ hour, or until the garlic can be easily pierced with a fork. Stir occasionally, and make sure that the garlic cloves do not begin to brown. Let cool, and place in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Use or discard within 10 days. According to FDA guidelines, flavored oils should not be stored longer than 10 days, due to risks of terrible things which I cannot bring myself to mention here.