Garlic confit is SO yummy. It’s really soft texture-wise and flavour-wise. It’s perfect for making several dishes and you get a subtle and delicious garlic taste. If you like garlic you HAVE to try this way of making it.
The technique
You can do a confit with oil or sugar (like ir marmalades and confit zests). Confit is a process that usually occurs in low heat. The ingredient that’s cooked absorbs the poaching liquid as it cooks. In the case of garlic confit, garlic cooks in olive oil on low heat and they soften as they cook and absorb the oil. The result is incredibly soft and delicious.
As a result of the process for the garlic confit you get two things:
- Garlic confit cloves that are great for many recipes such as rice, lentils, stews, tomato sauce, my white pizza recipe, etc. Keep them in the fridge in a container, floating in the oil. They keep for up to 3 months. It’s normal that the olive oil hardens in the fridge :).
- Garlic-flavoured olive oil that you can use in salads or for sauteéing protein and vegetables. The important thing is to keep the confit temperature low so that it doesn’t lose its properties. You can keep it at room temperature like any oil.
Garlic confit
In general, I recommend that you make plenty of garlic at once. That way you take advantage of the olive oil and can save time. If you’re one of those people that like to have ground garlic at hand, you can blitz a portion or all of the garlic cloves. They’re so soft you can even purée them with a fork or the back of a spoon! I hadn’t made garlic confit in a while. That´s when my friend Ari from Well Seasoned Studio made some and was immediately inspired. I could almost smell it through the screen! Thanks for the inspo, Ari!
Ingredients
- 3 garlic heads
- Olive oil to cover
- 2 small bayleaves optional! You can ommit or switch for another herb like rosemary, thyme or other
Instructions
- Peel the garlic cloves and cut off the dry ends. If the garlic is too mature and already has a sprout, cut them in half and remove the centre first.
- Place all the garlic cloves and bay leaves in a pot and cover them completely with olive oil.
- Cook them over really low heat (you should barely see a few bubbles) for 30-45 minutes or until they melt if you press them with a fork.
- Cool them down completely and keep the garlic with its oil in a container in the fridge. The garlic keeps for 3 months and don't worry if the oil solidifies.
