Heading to the Gilroy Garlic Festival!

I'm heading down to Gilroy, California, this weekend, for the world-famous Gilroy Garlic Festival. The festival is celebrating 30 years of garlic-centric food, and other fragrant fun. During the festival, and incredible two tons of fresh garlic will be used in everything from garlic bread to garlic ice cream…yes, garlic ice cream. Seriously, these folks really like garlic.

One of my favorite ways to enjoy garlic, is simply roasted whole, and spread on bread. I love the intense zing of raw garlic in sauces and dressings, but roasting really takes away the sharp bite, and the golden brown cloves turn soft and sweet. If you've never tried it, give this classic garlic recipe a try.

Here are a few more recipes for enjoying delicious, and nutritious, garlic:
Creamy Chive Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Gilroy Garlic Shrimp Recipe
Grilled Asparagus with Lemon Garlic Butter
Garlic and Fennel-Crusted Flank Steak

Photo © Flickr user VirtualErn