Quintessential Garlic Oil

I don't know why it took me so long to come up with this, and I don't know why it took me so long to post this. It is imperative you have this at all times in your fridge!

So Pan and I are fans of garlic. I use it often, and there is a garlicky, peppery pork rib soup that we love to have which uses about 60 cloves at one go, so it's a no-brainer that we purchase lots of garlic. But peeling every single bulb is sometimes very trying on my nerves, especially when those papery skins go flying.. Sure there are little culinary tricks to help, but when i've got my wok to smoking point on the stove, and need to add the garlic quickly! quickly!, i don't want no fuss at all, ma'am.

So we buy garlic in bulk, and peeled. When we say bulk, we mean 3 pounds of no-fuss garlicky goodness. We give some away, but more often than not some of the garlic start to grow mould in the bag. Never thought it was possible, but trust me. It's not a pleasant sight.

Instead of letting it go to waste, or frantically try to incorporate it in EVERY dish, I decided one day to make a whole pot full of garlic oil. It's so simple, and it will change your life forever.

Start with smashing bulbs of garlic. You can work with as much or as little garlic as you'd like, but honestly if you're going to get into it, you might as well make a bigger portion. They keep well both in the fridge and freezer, and is so easy to use, you'll find yourself drizzling it over just about anything.

I've smashed them both using the flat side of a butcher's knife, and using a motar and pestle. No preference over either. You can do a coarse or fine smash, or a mixture. Frankly, I don't really care and neither should you. There are many other things to worry about, such as making sure your little fur baby doesn't pee on the carpet again, or that you remember to take the garbage out for pickup.

Go for a proportion of about 1 part garlic to 1.5 parts oil. You can play around as much as you like, but i've found that this ratio allows for a very aromatic and flavorful oil that isn't too pungent or weak. Just make sure that there is sufficient oil to cover the garlic as you heat it gently.

As mentioned, heat it gently, stirring occasionally. I let it sit on the stove for 1/2 hour, sometimes more. Make sure it does not burn. Don't go over an hour though, I did it once and somehow it didn't taste quite right.

Store in airtight container in the fridge. You can opt to strain out the garlic, or leave it in. I leave it in. Why waste? Mine is about a month old in the fridge and still going strong.

USES

1) Stir-frys
2) Vegetable soups
3) Salad dressing
4) Condiments (heat the oil with the garlic up until the garlic turns medium brown color-- you probably want a finer mash for this)
5) Dipping crusty bread
6) Making pasta sauces, both tomato-based and oil-based (eg aglio olio, anchovies etc)
7) Drizzling over home-made pizza
8) Drizzling over hummus and other creamy dips

go bananas with it!



PS: don't freak out if some garlic turn green. It's a harmless chemical process called oxidation. Proceed to eat.