Roasted Garlic and Stale bread

4 servings 1 head of garlic

5 cups stale bread, cubed

1 tbsp paprika

1 litre vegetable stock, or water

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 F. Slice the top off a head of garlic to just expose the tops of the cloves. Drizzle with olive oil. Wrap in foil. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool for five minutes, then squeeze out roasted garlic. Discard skins. While garlic is roasted toss bread in olive oil and paprika. Season with salt and pepper. Place on baking sheet and toast in oven for 5 minutes. Transfer the roasted garlic and all but 1 cup of the bread to a pot. Top with vegetable stock or water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a mediumlow. Simmer for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Puree until smooth. Return to pan and warm. Serve garnished with remaining cubes of bread.

BULK IT UP

For essentials like canned goods, cereals, rice and pasta with a long shelf life, buying in bulk often leads to significant savings. This isn’t limited to non-perishables either. Often buying bulk chicken breasts or thighs, for example, can result in savings. Remember to freeze immediately what you aren’t going to use now.

Mark Dewolf is creative director of Food & Drink at Saltwire as well as a nationally recognized sommelier. He leads food and wine tours to destinations around the world.