2-Ingredient Garlic Puree Is The Condiment You Should Always Have On Hand

Condiments and sauces are the unsung heroes of a meal. It may be easy to overlook them, but even if you forget to pick some up at the store, don't fret, many of them are easy to recreate at home. One of the simplest and tastiest, garlic purée can be made with two simple ingredients — fresh garlic and olive oil.

The method is straightforward: place garlic cloves into a food processor or blender and start to pulse, just until they are minced. Then, add in your olive oil and continue to blend until the consistency is smooth and you can't see any more garlic chunks. The ratios can be played with, and given that there are only two ingredients, any correction is easy enough if you're not achieving the consistency that you're after. While this is the base of the purée, feel free to play around with other flavor additions, like rosemary or thyme. You can also choose to sprinkle in some salt as you're blending, or save it for the end or individual servings. The smooth texture of the condiment will allow the salt to mix in easily at any stage, and you can even get creative with flavored salts for a subtly-enhanced flavor profile.

Like with most condiments, a little goes a long way, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to incorporate this purée into your meals. You can easily upgrade your miso and garlic mashed potatoes with this creamy addition, and you can even mix it into a little butter for easy garlic butter toast. Any meal of the day can benefit from it, and you'll have a hearty supply of it on hand for any dishes you feel could use a little oomph. If you have a condiment squeeze bottle, this will make for the easiest distribution with the least amount of cleanup.

As for storing it, the refrigerator is best for the short term. Keep the condiment in an airtight container for up to one week, much the same as you would with garlic confit. Even with its flexibility in recipes, a week is not a long time in which to use up a full container of garlic purée. To maximize its shelf life, store the majority in the freezer where it will stay fresh for up to three months. Separate the purée into smaller-sized plastic bags, and take them out to thaw whenever you're ready to use them.