THE STINK'IN ROSE

This week, I'll confess to having another addiction. This time it's to the use of Garlic. I'll admit to using the favorable bulbs in almost everything I prepare in the kitchen. My exceptions are such things as cookies and cakes.

However, if you're ever near Gilroy, CA, you may find that things change. Once a year, they have a Garlic Festival in this small town and you're able to sample such things as Garlic Pies and even Garlic Ice Cream. Gilroy bills itself as "The Garlic Capitol of The World" and I sorta believe them. You can smell the Garlic in the air for miles and miles before you reach the town. Great little town, great people and some wonderful treats for the taste buds.

So, here's some information about what some people call "The Stinking Rose".

Roasted garlic is a great way to boost the flavor of different foods-- everything from appetizer spreads to soups, stews and pastas can benefit from the addition of some roasted Garlic. Or you can simply squeeze it directly onto freshly baked bread for a real taste treat. It keeps up to 10 days in the refrigerator, so you can roast several bulbs at once. The roasting process is simple.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut off the top one-third of an unpeeled bulb of garlic, exposing the cloves. (A bulb of garlic is also called a head. Choose bulbs with plump, firm cloves that are snugly attached to the root end.)(Be sure to remove the loose, papery outside before roasting)

Place the garlic in a small baking pan and drizzle a little olive oil over the exposed cloves. Put the pan in the oven and roast 15 - 18 minutes or until the cloves are tender and slightly brown.

To use immediately, allow the heads to cool enough to handle, then just squeeze the bulbs at the root ends. The soft cloves easily pop out.

If you are going to store the roasted garlic, do not peel it. Wrap tightly in aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to 10 days. When you're ready to cook, simply squeeze out the cloves and chop, mince or mash them according to what your recipe calls for.

An average roasted bulb of garlic will yield about a quarter-cup of chopped cloves. Roasted garlic has a distinctly mellow and almost sweet flavor, so recipes usually call for a lot of it.

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