Roasted-Garlic Paste

Directions

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Peel the outermost layers of skin off the heads of garlic.
2. 2
   Cut off the top third of each head to open the cloves.
3. 3
   Put the heads, cut sides up, in a small baking dish and pour the olive oil over them.
4. 4
   Season with salt and pepper.
5. 5
   Cover tightly, place in the oven and roast until about 3/4 cooked (about 45 minutes).
6. 6
   Uncover and return to the oven until the cloves begin to pop out of their skins and brown (about 15 minutes).
7. 7
   Let cool.
8. 8
   When cool enough to handle easily, squeeze the roasted garlic into a small bowl.
9. 9
   Press firmly against the skins to extract all the sweet roasted garlic you can.
10. 10
    Add the oil from the baking dish, the Parmesan cheese, rosemary and a pinch of gray salt.
11. 11
    Mix well until a paste forms.
12. 12
    Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.