A Necessary Addition to any Pasta....

Garlic of course! In particular, roasted garlic, which loses its strong raw bite through the baking process and instead becomes sweet, aromatic and almost creamy.  Traditionally, to roast garlic, one would have to take the whole head, chop off the top to expose the top of each clove, drizzle with olive oil and salt and put in the oven for at least 30 minutes.  Kind of a pain, and a waste of energy for just one head of garlic. 

My sister introduced me to a quicker and easier way of getting the same results, on the stove top! Simply separate each clove of garlic, ensuring that you keep its outer skin in tact.  Throw them in a medium-heavy bottomed pot, and start roasting them on medium heat. Toss them around every couple of minutes to ensure they do not burn. After 3-4 minutes, lower the heat, and let them slowly roast for about 15 minutes, tossing every so often. That is it. At this point, they should be soft, and should come out of their skins very easily. 

I just went through this process for my dinner tonight.  Once I removed the skins from the garlic, I chopped them up and threw them into a simple veggie herb pasta with onion, bell peppers, swiss chard and mushrooms.  The roasted garlic added sophistication to this dish and took no time at all. Yum!