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Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Easy Garlic Butter


            Today, I am making garlic butter for my kids who all have colds.  I have one son who cannot swallow a pill or vitamin to save his life.  So one day, I made a ton of this garlic butter for him, and he ate it slathered all over a piece of toast. 

            Garlic helps you fight germs. 

            So this is not only a great butter to serve with dinner (especially on warm, homemade bread or French bread), but it’s also great for when you are not feeling well and need a boost for your immune system. 

            And it couldn’t be easier to make.  (The hardest part is peeling the garlic.)

 

            All you do is rough chop a bunch of garlic and sauté it in a spoonful of olive oil over low to medium-low heat for a couple minutes, stirring constantly.  Don’t let it burn.  It gets bitter. 


            Taste a piece to see what you think.  If you like it stronger-tasting or are using it to help fight illness, cook just until it goes translucent.  If you like it more mellow, cook a minute or so longer.  Just don’t let it burn. 

            Then pour the garlic and oil (or cool it first before pouring) into a few tablespoon of butter. 
 
 
            If you don’t cool the garlic first, the butter will melt.  That’s okay, just use it like that or let it cool until it firms up (but the butter will be a little "grainy" once it cools).  Then just spread it all over some bread.  Or use it on baked or mashed potatoes.

 
 
            Caution:  Fresh garlic in olive oil left too long at room temperature can cause botulism.  I am not sure about garlic in butter, but to be safe, I only make what we will eat that day or I might store it in the fridge to use the next day.  But that’s it.
 

[If you want roasted garlic, just put the whole, unpeeled garlic cloves into a small baking dish, drizzle a little olive oil on top, stir it around to coat it all, cover with foil and bake at about 350 degrees for around 15-20 minutes, more if you need it.  Don’t let it burn.  When the cloves are soft (poke it with a knife to see if it goes in easily), let them cool.  Then slit with a knife, scrape or squeeze out the cloves, and mash them into some butter.  This gives a much more mellow flavor, but it can get a little oddly “sweet.”  I prefer a more biting, stronger taste from the sautéing method.]