This is hardly a recipe, but I felt compelled to share. When at a work conference in Newport, Rhode Island a few weeks ago, my friend Juli and I headed to a wine bar our last evening in town. We selected a few small plates off of the menu to share, all of which were excellent. However, it was the complimentary bread and olive oil that we really went crazy for! Sitting atop the plate of olive oil was a little blob of rosemary garlic paste. After finishing off the first basket of bread and wiping the plate clean, the server picked up on our affection and graciously offered us a second round...which we had no problem digging into!

Our server confirmed that it was simply a garlic puree with rosemary and as we sat dipping our bread, I told Juli I was determined to go home and make it myself. Less than twenty-four hours after returning home, I did just that! Though it wasn't an exact replica of Fluke's, I came pretty darn close. Next time I'll make a larger batch of it (I've increased the quantities below to reflect this), because I think it would've been easier to mash/puree had there been more of it.

You don't need to head out to eat to enjoy a restaurant experience--we enjoyed this with drinks on our patio after working around the house all day...love that!


Rosemary Garlic Paste
inspired by Fluke Wine Bar in Newport, RI


Ingredients:
-2 large heads of garlic
-1/2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
-olive oil, for serving

Directions:
1. Unwrap the outer skin of the garlic head, keeping the cloves together. Cut off the tip of the garlic head so that the cloves are exposed. Wrap each head individually in aluminum foil and roast at 400F for 30 minutes.
2. Remove garlic from foil and allow the heads to cool. When cool enough to touch, squeeze roasted garlic out into a small bowl or the bowl of a food processor. Add the chopped rosemary and a little bit of olive oil (optional). Mash to form a paste (or pulse in the food processor).
3. Place garlic plate on a plate with olive oil for dipping. Serve with bread.