Roasted Garlic Risotto

While at the grocery store, I came across a decent sale on some garlic heads and picked up several of them. One of my favorite things to do when I find garlic on sale is to roast several heads to make a good amount of roasted garlic to use in dishes.

To make roasted garlic is pretty easy and is nothing more than slicing the whole garlic head in half crosswise, drizzling some olive oil over them and seasoning with salt and pepper before baking them in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour.

Once done, you can remove the sweet, caramelized garlic from the papery skins and store in a seal tight container… or you can take some of them and make a delicious roasted garlic risotto like I did!

I enjoy cooking risotto because it’s one dish that can be made with so many flavors and variations. For my dinner party tonight, I served this roasted garlic risotto to pair with a roasted pork dish. It was not only delicious but the flavor of the roasted garlic really complimented the meal nicely.

4 whole garlic heads
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup water
2 teaspoons butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice or other short-grain rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, more to taste
1/4 teaspoon salt, more to taste
1/4 cup finely minced fresh Italian parsley

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Cut whole garlic heads in half crosswise. Place halves, cut sides up, on a pie pan lined with foil. Drizzle with oil and season with salt & pepper to taste. Place a second sheet of foil over the pan and secure foil edges. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until garlic is tender and carmelized. Cool. Squeeze out the roasted garlic from the papery skins, mash with a fork and set aside.
3. Bring broth and water to a simmer in a large saucepan. Keep warm over low heat.
4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, until hot. Melt butter in pan. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes or until lightly browned.
5. Reduce heat to medium. Add rice and mashed roasted garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in wine and 1/2 cup broth mixture; cook until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion is absorbed before adding the next (about 30 minutes or until all broth has been absorbed and rice is tender). Stir in cheese, pepper, salt, and parsley. Serve immediately.