Ingredients:
Roasted garlic butter:
Garlic - 1 whole bulb
EVOO
Salt
Pepper
Softened/melted butter
Parsley
Method:
- Pre-heat oven to 375°F.
- Prep the bulb of garlic in one of two ways:
a- leave the bulb intact and slice off just the top of the bulb, ensuring all of the cloves are exposed
b- break the bulb down into individual cloves and peel each one
- Tear off a sheet of Al foil and placed the prepped garlic (either as a bulb or indiv cloves, per the above) in the middle of the foil.
a- if using an intact bulb, drizzle some EVOO over the top of each clove in the bulb
b- if using indiv cloves, drizzle a little EVOO over the cloves and toss with your hands to ensure each is coated
- Season bulb/cloves w/ S&P, seal up the foil in to a pouch, and place in the oven (middle rack) for 20-25 minutes.
- Cook until garlic is fragrant and very soft; if using an intact bulb, garlic should be easily squeezed out like toothpaste out of the tube. If using indiv cloves, they should also be very soft and easily mashed into a paste.
- Squeeze the garlic out of the bulb (or mash the indiv cloves) into a soft paste. If any EVOO is still in the foil from cooking, add that in to the garlic paste.
- Fold into softened butter, or if using melted butter, stir in mashed garlic until well incorporated. Season to taste w/ S&P.
To make the bread:
- Pre-heat oven to 375°F.
- Split a good loaf of Italian bread lengthwise into 2 halves, and smear garlic butter evenly onto each half.
- Reassemble loaf, and wrap in foil.
- Place in oven and bake for ~10 minutes, or until bread is hot.
- Take bread out of oven, unwrap foil, and split loaf into halves, cut side up. Sprinkle w/ parsley if desired.
- Return loaf halves to oven on foil, (you may want to place them on a baking sheet for this), and bake 5-7 more minutes, to make the bread crustier.
- Remove from oven, cut into desired serving size, and serve immediately.
Notes:
- The garlic can be roasted ahead of time and stored in the fridge until needed.
- For a twist: provolone cheese can be added to cut side of bread after removal and unwrapping, and before returning to the oven for crisping.