Garlic's Last Chance

The huge bag of garlic that I bought several months ago was at the very end of its usefulness. So, I peeled all of the cloves, cut off the sprouts and brown spots, and oven roasted them in olive oil. Now I have delicious roasted garlic spread and no more guilt about the garlic.

Assisting me in this task was a nifty little tool that I purchased at a cookware store in the downtown mall in Ithacca, New York. All it is is a short, flexible plastic tube. You put several cloves in the tube, grind down on it with the full weight of your hand, and then easily remove the paper shells. When I first saw this gadget demonstrated on a television cooking show I thought it was incredibly silly. I was wrong, however, because it works out really well. It also comes with a fond memory of my visit to Ithacca.