Helpful Techniques: Garlic Confit and Garlic Oil
Having grown up in an Italian-American family, I have always been a firm believer that the kitchen is where all magic starts in a household. Cooking a wonderful meal always brings me back to my mother’s and grandmother’s kitchens and how many wonderful memories I have of those places. I spent a large portion of my childhood listening and learning how to cook with intention in those kitchens.
Whether it was my mother’s chicken soup that always felt like it could cure any ailment, my aunt’s coconut chocolate biscotti sweetening any gathering, or my grandmother’s delicious celebratory rice stuffing; each of these dishes and so many more proved to me just how powerful intention through food could be.
Garlic: The Magickal Powerhouse
One of the first powerfully intentional foods I learned about was ever-present garlic. Growing up, garlic was revered in my family, not just for it’s wonderful flavor, but for it’s capacity to heal and protect. Whenever someone was beginning to feel under the weather, a meal with a healthy amount of garlic cooked into it was exactly what was dished up to you to boost your healing. The warding off of negative energies or people thanks to garlic was spoken about freely as fact, so from early childhood onwards, I have always regarded it as a special and important ingredient.
As I began to study and practice herbalism and kitchen spell craft more, it became clear my family was absolutely correct about garlic and it’s powerful usages. Garlic does indeed hold massive energy for healing and protection, as well as being useful in banishment, hex-proofing, fertility, and courage spellwork.
Garlic Confit: What is it and why is it an important technique?
One of my very favorite ways to utilize garlic in the kitchen, intentionally or otherwise, is to whip up a big batch of garlic confit. Confit is a French term that means “to preserve” and is a technique most often seen used with poultry or meats. The core of the technique is to cook food slowly at lower temperatures in an oil or sugar syrup. As I said before, most often you will see this technique referenced in dishes such as confit duck or chicken, however you can successfully use this method for many ingredients, such as whole garlic cloves.
What I enjoy and find most useful most about this method of cooking garlic is that:
A.) It is a SUPER simple and nearly hands-off way of getting a huge amount of sweet and nutty garlic that can be used in practically any recipe that calls for roasted or cooked garlic in it. It is especially good in sauces, stews, and pasta dishes.
B.) By cooking low and slow like this, you can deeply infuse any intentions your focusing on into the garlic and store it for later use when you need that particular boost.
C.) Through this technique, you are also left with a delicious roasted garlic infused oil that can be used throughout your kitchen in roasting, sautéing, savory baking, and in creating home-made vinaigrettes.
Garlic Confit and Roasted Garlic Oil
Ingredients
- 4 heads of fresh garlic (approximately 1 1/2 - 2 cups garlic cloves) *see note (health, warding, protection, courage)
- 16 oz. olive oil (healing, protection, love, prosperity)
- 4 springs fresh rosemary (protection, purification)
- 4 springs fresh oregano (strength, joy, vitality)
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (banishment of negativity, action to spellwork)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper (protection, purification, strength)
- 2 bay leaves (wishes, protection, vitality)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Peel and place all of the garlic cloves into a deep, oven safe pan, along with the rosemary, oregano, red pepper flakes, bay leaves, and black pepper.
- Pour the olive oil over the other ingredients until the garlic is just covered and place a piece of aluminum foil loosely over the top of the pan.
- Place the pan into the preheated oven and allow the garlic to cook covered for approximately 30-40 minutes, checking it for softness and color after 15 minutes. Continue to cook until the garlic is a golden, caramelized color and soft.
- Allow the confit to cool completely before storing. The garlic cloves and oil can be stored in a clean container with a tight fitting lid in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 weeks and in the freezer for 3-4 months.
- Enjoy with meats or vegetables, in soups, salad dressings, stews, dips, sauces, and savory baking!
Notes
- I highly recommend using fresh bulbs of garlic for this method for the best flavor and intention, however to save time you may use already peeled whole garlic cloves from your local market.
- You may use any fresh herbs or spices you like to adjust the flavor and intent of the finished confit.
Quick Recipe Idea: Garlic Parmesan Bread
One of my absolute favorite ways to use this confit and oil is to make the quintessential garlic bread. Don’t let the simplicity of this dish fool you, it might just be the BEST garlic bread I have ever eaten. This is mostly due to the rich, slightly sweet flavor the confit and it’s accompanying oil impart. The fact that you can have it on your table and in your belly in 15 minutes from start to finish just makes this recipe all the more alluring.
Garlic Parmesan Bread
Ingredients
- 1 small loaf of crusty bread (prosperity, good luck) *see note
- 4 oz. unsalted butter, softened (wealth, abundance)
- 3 Tbsp confit garlic cloves (protection, health)
- 2 Tbsp roasted garlic oil (protection, vitality)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste (purification)
- 1/4 cup shredded or shaved parmesan cheese (abundance, love) *see note
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
- Slice the loaf of bread lengthwise and place each halve on the baking sheet. Brush each halve lightly with the roasted garlic oil.
- In a small bowl, mix together the softened butter, garlic cloves, oil, and salt until combined. Spread the mixture evenly over each piece of bread and top the bread by sprinkling the parmesan over each halve.
- Bake the bread in the preheated oven for approximately 10-12 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown in color.
- Allow to cool slightly before cutting into slices and serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use any loaf of bread of your choosing, however I recommend a crusty sourdough, ciabatta, or French loaf. This recipe can also be made with a gluten free bread.
- You can substitute pretty much any cheese you prefer in this recipe. Gruyere, mozzarella, fontina, or provolone would all be great choices for melting cheeses or you can use goat, gorgonzola, or feta for a more robust flavor.
