garlic butter

Loved and hated in equal measure, garlic is the ideal companion to add to butter and get a dressing full of flavor, one that will take your breath away. Preparing a delicious garlic butter is as simple as it is rewarding in its result. You will see that It's done with almost no mess and in no time at all you'll have turned good butter into a special ingredient that will elevate your dishes and bring you and your guests lots of joy!

You can make garlic butter simply, or you can flavour it with herbs. The process is exactly the same, you will see how to add them if you want to make garlic and parsley butter or garlic and rosemary butter . The result is delicious, and will turn your fish and meat, as well as a simple piece of bread, into food fit for the gods.

What is garlic butter

Garlic butter is butter to which crushed or minced garlic is added for flavour and aroma. It usually also contains finely chopped parsley. The traditional recipe is made with raw garlic and fresh parsley (although dried can also be used), but I personally love making it with roasted garlic.

The flavour is completely different, smooth and with that smoky and somewhat sweet, almost caramelised touch that roasted garlic has. In addition, they acquire a creamy texture, making them much easier to incorporate and integrate with the butter.

How to use garlic butter

Once you've made it, you can store it in an airtight container and it will keep perfectly in the fridge (and freezer!), so you'll have it ready to use whenever you want. Luigi Bormioli's glass jars are ideal for this.

And if making garlic butter is really easy, using it is even easier. You can enjoy it as is and also use it to round out some of your dishes. Here are some options, but I'm sure you'll come up with many more as soon as you start using it:

• It's delicious spread on a slice of bread for breakfast, just like you would spread your regular butter on.
• It is a fantastic option to accompany toast or biscuits at your dinners. Without adding anything else or as a base on which to place, for example, a little smoked cod.
• You've probably tried garlic bread. With garlic butter, all you have to do is spread some slices of day-old bread on it and bake them while you're turning on the oven. In this simple way, you'll be able to make garlic bread at home that's as delicious as the one from the best pizzeria.
• To cook with it. Garlic butter is an ingredient that will give you a lot of possibilities to flavour meats, fish and vegetables:
• Use it instead of oil to sear beef tenderloins on your grill or in a cast iron skillet.
• Also in your non-stick frying pan with some hake fillets. Just when you see that the butter has melted and is starting to bubble, place the fish in it so that it is coated and let it cook to perfection.
• It is ideal for sautéing mushrooms or onion rings.
• And it's also great for roasting vegetables: carrots or corn on the cob, for example, or potatoes. If you want to prepare the latter in the hasselback style, spread the outside of the potatoes with garlic butter, place a little of the same butter on each potato and bake.
• To prepare grilled shrimp or prawns, replace the oil with garlic butter and you will see how much tastier it makes them.
• To add to your vegetable soups and purées. Just before blending, add a knob of garlic butter to mashed potatoes or any vegetable soup to enhance its flavour.
• Or, in a very simple way, to accompany freshly cooked pasta. Once you have plated the pasta, without letting it cool, place a few pieces of garlic butter on top, stir to melt, and enjoy!

How to make garlic butter

You've already seen that garlic butter is a great choice. Whether you're making it with raw garlic or roasted garlic, it's easy to make, practical to store, and highly versatile. And since I'm sure you're dying to make it, here's the recipe for garlic butter with roasted garlic.

Ingredients

• 250 g butter at room temperature
• 1 head roasted garlic* (less if using raw garlic, see note)
• A pinch of salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Chopped rosemary or parsley (optional)

*NOTE: We prefer to use roasted garlic because it further enhances the flavor of the resulting butter (making it less strident and giving it a very unique special touch), but you can use raw garlic. If you want to make the traditional recipe with raw garlic, reduce the amount of garlic slightly. Calculate about 3 cloves of garlic for every 100 grams of butter. If you find that they are not excessively spicy, add some more. If you use raw garlic, skip directly to step 2 of the preparation.

Preparation

1. First, we need to roast the garlic; you can see how to do it here . If you have roasted them beforehand, take them out of the jar and let all the oil drain out at room temperature.
2. Crush or mash the garlic cloves into a paste.
3. Place the butter at room temperature in a bowl, add a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper and beat well with a wooden spoon to mix and give the butter a creamy texture. You can also do this with a mixer or with the KitchenAid robot using the paddle.
4. Add the paste you made with the roasted garlic cloves and mix well until everything is combined.
5. If you add the chopped parsley, add it at the end and stir to mix and integrate.
6. Put the butter in a jar for storage. Use a silicone spatula to help you avoid losing any of this delicious preparation.

Grades

• You can use store-bought butter or make your own at home. It's very easy! If you're up for it, here you'll find out how to make it and also how to flavour it.
• Garlic butter allows for endless variations just by changing the seasonings. Replace the parsley with Provencal herbs, oregano, thyme, sweet or hot paprika, various peppers or curry. One of the most delicious I have tried is the rosemary and basil one. You can find the recipe here .
• In any garlic butter recipe we can vary the amount of garlic to our liking, but it is important to keep in mind that the high fat content of butter determines the final flavour . Some of the aromatic molecules in garlic, the most volatile ones, are retained by the fat and cannot be tasted. You could say that we lose them. So, if we adjust the amount of garlic we are going to add too much, the butter will be slightly flavoured, but without providing that extra something that we want to give to our dishes with it.
• It is precisely this high fat content of butter that allows us to preserve it for several days. Ideally, you should prepare enough to use over a week. If you want to make more, you have the option of freezing it; this way it will last much longer (around 2 months) or vacuum-packing it and storing it in the fridge or freezer.
• With all these options you can prepare a varied board of salted butters to accompany cheeses, sausages and smoked meats. You will surprise your guests!