More than fifty people joined us for Garlic & Ghouls on October 22, and if you couldn't make it, it's not too late to plant your own garlic at home. The Alabama Extension Service has tips to make your garlic crop a success.

E.A.T. South Board Chair Carolyn Strickland discussing her garlic recipes.

Roasted Garlic

Ingredients: one or more whole heads of garlic, olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 F. Peel and discard papery outer layers of the whole garlic bulb, leaving the skins of individual garlic cloves intact.
With a sharp knife, cut 1/4 to 1/2 inch from the top of the cloves, exposing the tops of the individual cloves of garlic.
Place the whole heads of garlic in a baking pan cut side up. (A muffin pan works great and keeps the garlic heads from rolling around.) Drizzle a couple of teaspoons of olive oil over each exposed garlic head. Use your fingers to rub the oil into the garlic cloves. Cover the bulb with aluminum foil. Bake at 400 F for 30-35 minutes or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.
Allow garlic to cool so you can touch it without burning yourself. Use a small knife to cut the skin slightly around each clove. Use a small fork or fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic out of their skins.
Spread garlic on bread or eat however you like it or mash it with a fork for other cooking projects.

Roasted Garlic Gravy

Ingredients

1 head of roasted garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup flour
2 cups vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Roast garlic as described in the recipe above.
Remove roasted garlic from individual cloves and mash with a fork.
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and the flour whisking constantly until the flour begins to brown. Add the broth, continuing to whisk, and bring mixture to a boil.
Season with salt and pepper and serve with mashed potatoes, faux turkey or any other dish that needs a savory upgrade.

Adapted from this roasted garlic gravy recipe (with video instructions, too!).

Parsley-Garlic Chimichurri

Ingredients

1 large bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley with softer stems
8 cloves of garlic, peeled
3 tablespoons minced onion
5 tablespoons white vinegar
5 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Roughly chop the parsley with a knife. This will make processing easier. Add parsley and garlic to food processor and pulse a few times to mince. Add remaining ingredients and pulse a few times more. Slowly pour oil through the food processor chute while tapping the pulse button. Just pulse enough so that everything is mixed.

If you like the crisp taste of parsley, use sauce immediately. Letting it rest in the refrigerator overnight will balance out the flavors.

Use as a marinade or with roasted vegetables or mix with a little vinegar and oil for a salad dressing. You might want to eat this on a day when you won't have to socially interact with anyone face to face. Adapted from this chimichurri recipe.

Recipes & Scenes from Garlic & Ghouls