1 head roasted garlic, or confit (recipe follows)
10 ounces Persian feta, drained or marinated
6 vine-ripened tomatoes
12 slices ciabatta bread
1 red onion, finely diced
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 lemon wedges
Squeeze flesh from roasted garlic into a small bowl. In a separate bowl, beat feta to soften. Add a little of its marinating oil if necessary. Remove cores from tomatoes, cut each tomato into 6 slices horizontally. Lay slices to form a circle on each serving plate.
Toast ciabatta (or any type of artesian bread), then spread with garlic paste. Meanwhile, scatter diced onion and torn basil leaves over tomatoes. Drizzle each tomato salad with a tablespoon of olive oil. Place a spoonful of feta in the center of each tomato circle. Add a wedge of lemon and 2 slices of ciabatta to 1 side. Serves 6.
Garlic Confit
There are 2 methods to obtain the rich, sweet flavor of garlic ... and a paste perfect for recipes.
Slow-roasted garlic is much more palatable than raw. To roast garlic, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut off and discard the top one-third from 6 heads of garlic and place, root end down, in the center of a square of aluminum foil. Drizzle cut tops liberally with extra-virgin olive oil, then wrap heads in foil to enclose completely.
To confit garlic: Cut off and discard the top one-third from 6 heads of garlic and place, root end down, in a saucepan. Cover heads with vegetable oil and cook over low heat for 45 to 60 minutes or until soft. The slow-cooking is required to develop flavor. Cool, then transfer garlic and oil to a storage container and refrigerate. Use the flesh and flavored oil as needed.
