roasted garlic

this question almost always comes up when i'm in a conversation with someone about food, "how do you have time to do all of that cooking?" while it's true i devote most of my time to cooking that is not spent at work-cause-i-gotta-make-money-so-we-can-afford-to-eat, i have figured out oodles of ways to save time on those nights when there never seems to be enough of it. 
          i spend a few hours on sundays to clean and chop vegetables, cook starches, and bake bread. then, during the week all i have to do to put dinner on the table is steam a green, cook some protein and maybe reduce down some pan fond for a sauce. i can plate the entree with one of the pre-made starches, open a bottle of wine, set the table, turn on the stereo, and do it all in about 20 or 25 minutes.

a roasted whole garlic bulb is another important culinary-time-saver that keeps in the fridge for use when there's no time left for even one more task. roasted garlic mellows the pungent sting of raw garlic into a smooth, juicy-sweet pearl that adds a soft, smoky flavor to a dish. i squeeze out the buttery tear drops to add to stew or soup, make a pizza, smush over bread, toss in a salad, whip into aioli or another sauce, rub on a piece of fish, stir into a pot of potatoes, and best of all–toss with some pasta, olive oil and parmesan–perfetto! 

ingredients
• 1 or 2 whole garlic bulbs
• olive oil
directions
1. remove the outer few layers of the paper-peeling on the garlic bulb, and slice off the top bit to expose the flesh.
2. drizzle some olive oil onto the tops of the exposed cloves.
3. put the bulb into a clay garlic roaster that has been soaked in water /or wrap it losley in foil.
4. put the roaster or foil into a cold oven and turn the heat up to 325 degrees.
5. roast it for about 50-60 min. until all of the cloves are soft and coming away from the peeling.