Basket of Breads with Whole Roasted Garlic

[Kitchen Witch]

Basket of Breads with Whole Roasted Garlic

Consult your local yellow pages for an Italian bakery or purchase breads from an Italian restaurant. I'd offer two or three kinds -- a rustic whole wheat loaf, Sardinian Parchment Bread, and a savory flatbread (focaccia).

Forget the butter (or olive oil) and offer instead whole roasted garlic. The roasting mellows the garlic and guests will love squeezing the soft pulp onto their bread. You'll need one whole garlic bulb per person as garlic lovers will also want to squeeze the pulp onto other dishes to enhance their flavor. Be sure to count the carbos of the bread!

12 whole garlic bulbs
2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C, Gas Mark 5).
2. Cut the bottom off each garlic bulb and place bulb on a square of aluminum foil. Drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil. Seal and place in a shallow roasting pan. Repeat procedure until all garlic bulbs are wrapped in foil.
3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until garlic is very soft. (Garlic can be roasted up to 5 days ahead; serve cold or reheated.)
4. When ready to serve, unwrap and arrange garlic bulbs, cut side up, among the breads. (Leftover garlic cloves can be stored in the fridge in self-sealing plastic bags for use another time.)

Per serving (5 garlic cloves only): 28 calories (23% calories from fat), 1 g protein, 1 g total fat (0.1 g saturated fat), 5 g carbohydrate, trace dietary fiber, 0 cholesterol, 3 mg sodium
Exchanges: 1 vegetable