Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Garlic Roast Beef

Before putting any roast of beef in the oven, cut about a dozen slits
in the meat, big enough to completely bury a whole clove in each slit.
Then continue as normal, roasting to perfection. The buried garlic
becomes a glorious sweet spread inside the beef. Your guests will
feel the love.

mister anchovy

Monday, March 28, 2005

Crockpot I LOVE ME SOME GARLIC! Chicken

Recipe sent by Debbie:

2 t thyme
2 t rosemary
2 t sage
2 t parsley
1 can chicken broth
40 cloves peeled garlic (frankly, I'm lazy, I buy 1 of those small jars of ready-minced garlic and use the whole thing)
1 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
3 lb whole chicken or chicken parts (I use boneless skinless breastes)
2 stalks sliced celery


If using a whole chicken-
Mince herbs.
Stuff cavity with half the herbs.
Put celery in bottom of the crock. (this is a trick that can help us posties a lot. Celery or potatoes in the bottom of a crock helps raise the meat out of the bottom, where it would soak in its own fat.)
Put chicken on top of celery.
Pour chicken broth around chicken.
Add garlic around chicken.
Sprinkle herbs, salt and pepper over chicken.
Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or high 4-6 hours.
Remove chicken from crock to serving platter.
If desired-
Squeeze roasted garlic out of skins onto chicken or low carb bread or crackers and spread with a knife.



Wow, all these garlic chicken recipes are becoming quite popular. I will soon post about the garlic mushroom chicken I made on Friday, with pictures.

Sunday, March 27, 2005

Friendly Garlic Chicken

Recipe sent by Debbie:

3 large heads of garlic (about 40 cloves)
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons virgin olive oil
8 chicken thighs, skinned
1 cup chopped parsley
3/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
freshly ground nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Separate garlic into cloves. In a saucepan of rapidly boiling water, blanch garlic for about 30 seconds.

3. Run garlic under cold water. Trim tops and bottoms of garlic and slip off skins.

4. Pour olive oil into a 3 to 4 quart casserole with tightly fitting lid. Add garlic and toss to coat with oil. Add chicken and turn to coat with oil. Scatter parsley over top and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

5. Cover and bake 1 hour.

Makes 8 servings.

Believe it or not, when you cook garlic for a long time like this, its pungency disappears and is replaced by a delicate nutlike flavor; which won't offend anyone.



Thank you Debbie, it sounds delicious. I made a chicken similar to this one on Friday and it turned out really good. I'll post pictures and the recipe soon.

Friday, March 25, 2005

Garlic tube

Fritz also sent this picture:

It is a garlic tube I bought at a gourmet shop, you stick the cloves inside it and roll it and the skin comes off the garlic very easily. I like this thing alot better than using a knife to crush then remove the garlic skin. You roll it and it comes off. i like to do a coupl bulbs at once and then store the rest in a small closed container in the fridge.

Thursday, March 24, 2005

Garlic press

Fritz sent this picture and said:
It is my German Garlic press which works wonders, I am not sure of the
brand I think it is Henckel? It was not cheap but I felt at the time
stainless steel would last longer than plastic.


Garlic press
This thing works like a charm. it has plenty of mechanical advantage and it is not hard to clean with the removable inserts.


It looks great and I'm sure it's way better than your regular plastic garlic press from the supermarket.
Thanks, Fritz!

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Chicken margarita

Recipe sent by Bruce Baird:

3 Boneless chicken breast butterflied (Marinate with Olive oil, salt pepper, garlic powder, cayenne Pep for about an hour.

- Get grill screaming and char on one side, turn for a minute and return to a covered casserole bowl.


Sauce:

2 jalapenos chopped
2 TS minced garlic
2 TS minced fresh Cilantro
juice of one lime
half a shot of tequila
1/2 Stick of salted butter

After chicken is cooked and Spanish rice is done start the sauce

- add a TS olive oil
- sweat the garlic
- add the Tequila and lime juice (cook off the Alcohol)
- add the jalapenos

Cook a little and then whisk in the cold butter to thicken the sauce. Pour over the chicken which mixes with the chicken broth and add the fresh cilantro as you serve it along side the Spanish rice.

Monday, March 21, 2005

Garlic spread

Recipe sent by Mark Hamzy

Visit this link (link: garlic spread), he has beautiful picture of delicious garlic.

I copied the instructions but you HAVE TO see the pictures.

"I start with three heads of garlic (not cloves, but the whole plant :-). Now, the easiest way to roast garlic is to cut of the top parts of each clove, drizzle some extra virgin olive oil (EVOO for short), wrap it in aluminum foil, and bake it for 30 to 45 minutes. The problem is that you have to wait until the garlic is cool enough to squeeze and you have to deal with some of the paper skin when you are pushing out the now soft garlic. I use a different method. I seperate each clove from the head, cut off the root bit and peel off the skin. It may take a little longer to prepare but there are benefits. I get to inspect each clove for nasty spots and cut them off. I am assured of getting 100% of the garlic. And, I get to dump them into the food processor immediately. Once I have peeled each clove, I put them into a sheet of aluminum foil and drizzle them with EVOO.

Then fold the sheet and crimp the ends. Next, poke many holes in the top to vent steam. You want to be able to fry the garlic in order to carmelize it but you also want so steam to help cook the garlic. Too much steam will result in water on the bottom which interferes with the frying. Place the pouch in the oven at 350 degrees Farenheit for 30 to 45 minutes. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the smell of roasting garlic.

Sprinkle salt and pepper on the cloves. I like a mix of pepper that has been corsely grated and that has been finely grated. Turn on the food processor and start to drizzle in the EVOO. You want the EVOO to emulisfy and dissapear into the mixture. This is the tricky part. Pour too much oil and it will seep out of the final product. Olive oil is not a good oil to create an emulsion with (and we arent using egg yolks to help either).

Next, pour in a mixture of Parmesan Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, and Asiago cheeses. I usually use the Kraft three cheese can, but since I went to Central Market, I bought the individual cheeses and shredded them myself.

Finally, scrape the spread and put it into a jar. I use a small ramekin. I store it by covering it with a small bit of plastic wrap and use a old newspaper rubber band to seal it to the jar.

Oh yeah, I made corn bread to go with it!"

Saturday, March 19, 2005

Bread dipping sauce

Recipe sent by Kent Powell.

This is one of the best bread dipping sauces I have ever had. I don't have exact measurements, but it's very easy to make it to taste.

Pour a some light extra virgin olive oil into a small bowl (I would guess about 1/3 - 1/2 cup)
Add a small amount of Pesto (optional)
Add several cloves crushed garlic
Salt to Taste

Use for dipping (crunchy outside, soft inside) french bread cut into inch to inch & a half slices.


If you have any questions or find it confusing, leave a coment and Kent will explain it to you.

Friday, March 18, 2005

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Recipe sent by Jamie (and dedicated, of course, to Clara)

Serves 6-8

2 garlic bulbs, separated into cloves, unpeeled
8 tbsp unsalted butter
3 lb baking potaotoes
1/2 to 3/4 cup milk
salt and white pepper

1) Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add the garlic cloves and boil for 2 minutes, then drain and peel.

2) In a heavy frying pan, melt half of the butter over low heat. Add the blanched garlic cloves, then cover and cook gently for 20-25 minutes, until very tender and just golden, shaking the pan and stirring occasionally. Do not allow the garlic to scorch or brown.

3) Remove the pan from the heat and cool slightly. Spoon the garlic and any butter from the pan into a blender or food processor fitted with a metal blade and process until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl, press plastic wrap onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming and set aside.

4) Peel and quarter the potatoes, place in a large saucepan and add enough cold water to just cover them. Salt the water generously and bring to a boil over high heat. (Note: I didn't fully peel the potates - the skins work A-OK)

5) Cook the potatoes until tender, then drain and work through a food mill or press through a sieve back into the saucepan. Return the pan to medium heat and, using a wooden sppon, stir the potatoes for 1-2 minutes to dry them out completely. Remove from heat.

6) Warm the milk over medium-high heat until bubbles form around the edge. Gradually beat the milk, remaining butter and reserved garlic puree into the potatoes, then season with salt and, if needed, white pepper.


Source; Vegetarian: The Best-Ever Recipe Collection - Linda Frader (Hermes House 2003)

Thursday, March 17, 2005

Have a little cabbage with your garlic

Recipe sent by Fritz.

This is a simple recipe I use all the time and I use alot of garlic in it

First a teaspoon of peanut oil in the pot
Heat on high
Now goes in the Garlic here a clove there a clove too much is never enough and some chopped scallions
Cook for 2 minutes
Then add a cup of chicken stock
Now you have the broth that will steam the cabbage wedges you put into this pot
after the cabbage has cooked for a while add some sesame seeds to top it off
You can also add a tomato to this broth while it steams the cabbage.. if you want.

At this point you can serve the cabbge with anything you want . I sometime put some grilled kielbasa into the pot with the cabbage and bingo it is damn goood. It also goes well with chicken i.e. barbequed , fried, heavily seasoned etc...

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Garlic-intensive green salsa

In honour of The Salsa Review, I am posting the recipe for the green salsa that my father used to make:

1 medium white onion
5 cloves garlic
1 pound tomatillos
5 serrano chilies
one tbsp of Knorr chicken stock in powder, or vegetable stock (if you want to make it vegetarian)
1/4 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste (be careful because the Knorr chicken stock is already a bit salty)

Chop all ingredients and put them in the blender. Blend until smooth.
Voila, a delicious and very garlicky green salsa!

Monday, March 14, 2005

Garlic-mushroom-prosciutto spaghetti

Text adapted from Adventures in Downtown Toronto.

Last week, I made a delicious spaghetti with a mushroom-prosciutto and garlic sauce.

I got real Italian spaghetti at the St. Lawrence Market and stocked up on different types of mushrooms.

Ingredients:
About 1 pound of assorted mushrooms
100 grams prosciutto very finely chopped
Three cloves of garlic (but you can add waaaaaaay more if you want)
1 shallot
Olive oil
Fresh basil
Half a pound real Italian spaghetti (or just regular spaghetti, they taste almost the same)
1 cup white wine
1/4 grated Parmesan cheese



I had button mushrooms, shitake, chanterelle, brown mushrooms and probably others that I don't even know.
I chopped three cloves of garlic and one shallot. I fried them in olive oil until brown and then added the mushrooms and chopped fresh basil. Meanwhile I was boiling the spaghetti in a different pot.
After a quick sautee, I added the drained spaghetti (I was really careful not to overcook it because I knew it was going to keep cooking with the mushrooms) and very finely chopped prosciutto. Finally I added a cup of white wine and 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese. I let the white wine evaporate and the spaghetti to finish cooking.

This is how my dinner looked:



Doesn't it look super delicious? It was very garlicky.

Sunday, March 13, 2005

Garlic Schnapps

Thanks to Sam for sending this link, it looks pretty interesting.

http://www.danish-schnapps-recipes.com/garlic.html

Thursday, March 10, 2005

Garlic pita chips

Recipe sent by Corina.

You will need:
a few whole wheat or white pita pockets,
some olive
oil,
garlic salt
& any other seasoning you wish to use.

Cut the pitas into smll triangles, brush with olive oil, season and bake in the oven until brown and crispy.

MMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!! a quick and easy snack!

Wednesday, March 9, 2005

Tomato and garlic chicken

Christine sent this recipe today, she says it has only had reviews from family and friends, so everyone is invited to try it and leave us their comments.

1 can Italian stewed tomatoes
1 can Mexican stewed tomatoes
2 teaspoons tablespoons minced garlic
1 medium onion minced
2 lbs boneles skinless chicken breasts
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

In a casserole pan pour in half of ingredients other than chicken breasts. Place chicken breasts in pan and pour remaining ingredients on top. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 30 mins. Reduce heat to 325 and cook slow and uncovered until chicken fully cooked and tender. This will also thicken sauce some. *This is perfect along with white rice.*

Monday, March 7, 2005

Garlic Spaghetti

During the weekend I went to the St. Lawrence Market (I live in the neighbourhood), and stocked with lots of garlic. I also bought assorted mushrooms, and real Italian spaghetti.
Here's my recipe for garlic spaghetti:

1/2 pound spaghetti
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
Parmesan cheese

Boil spaghetti until done (approximately 10 minutes, DO NOT OVERCOOK!). Drain and keep warm (do not rinse).
Sauté the garlic in the olive oil for a minute or two, be careful not to let it burn (I talk from experience here, I've burned my lifetime share of garlic in olive oil).
Add spaghetti and stir well in garlicky-oil. Top with parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Saturday, March 5, 2005

I don't see whole roasted garlic here yet!

Recipe sent by Mister Anchovy.

Start with a couple primo bulbs of garlic, with nice full cloves. Slice the tops off without cutting into any of the cloves. Place them, whole, into a baking dish, bottoms down. Drizzle with obsenely good olive oil, then bake in a 350 oven for an hour. Prepare to be transported.

Another way to use roasted garlic is with a roast of winter vegetables. Chop up a selection of veggies - include onions and peppers and carrots and parsnips and squash. Toss into a baking dish. Add a handful of whole garlic cloves. Add some savory, and if you promise to go easy, a little rosemary. Drizzle with the same obsenely good olive oil. Bake for half an hour, stir everything around, and bake for another half hour, and wahooooo!

Friday, March 4, 2005

Say Yes to Garlic

Thanks to Clara for the link, it's a really cool restaurant in ALASKA, of all places, and they have a lot of information about garlic.

GARLIC

Thursday, March 3, 2005

Instant garlic bread

Recipe sent by Aven:

In a small pan, gently saute 4 cloves minced garlic in 2 tbsps butter.
Reserve.

In a medium bowl, mix:
2.5 cups flour
4 tsps baking powder
1 tsp salt

Mix in until crumbly:
0.5 cup shortening (or oil, or butter)

Add:
1 cup milk
reserved garlic and butter
4 tbsps chopped parsley (or any other fresh herb)

Stir until just combined. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly 8-10 times. Roll to desired thickness (about 1") and cut into squares, or cut out circles with a glass. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake in a pre-heated 425F oven for 12-15 minutes, or until risen and just turning golden brown. Makes 8-12 biscuits, depending on what size you make each one.

You can also use any pre-packaged biscuit mix, and add the garlic and herbs to it as you follow the package directions.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, March 2, 2005

Health benefits of garlic

My sister, who is a scientist, has sent me garlic's health properties:

Garlic (Allium Sativum)
Garlic, a widely used medicinal herb, is reported to have hypolipidemic, cardioprotective, antioxidative, antimicrobial, antiplatelet, immune-enhancing, anticancer, chemopreventive, hepatoprotective, antihypertensive, and procirculatory effects.

This quote appeared in an academic scientific journal:

Herbal Modulation of P-Glycoprotein by Shufeng Zhou, Ph.D.,1, Lee Yong Lim,1 and Balram Chowbay. In DRUG METABOLISM REVIEWS, Vol. 36, No. 1, pp. 63, 2004.

Isn't that super-cool for us garlic-lovers?

Tuesday, March 1, 2005

Garlic sweet potatoes

I just came back from my book club meeting, where Julia and Kevin gave me their recipe for garlic sweet potatoes:

Ingredients:

For each person:
1 sweet potato
1 head of garlic
Olive oil
Rosemary (dry or fresh)

Wrap each sweet potato in foil (poke holes in them) and add some olive oil. Roast the whole sweet potato on the barbecue for about 45 minutes or until tender.
At the same time, cut off the top of the head of garlic and sprinkle with olive oil and rosemary. Wrap it in foil and also put it on the barbecue.
After 45 minutes to an hour, take everything off the barbecue and cut open the sweet potato, scoop out the "meat" and squeeze the roasted caramelized garlic juice and everything from the head of garlic onto the sweet potato.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!


Adventures in Downtown Toronto

Garlic Bits

Matthew sent me this link.

Garlic Bits

They look delicious, I hope we can get them in Canada. You can also find some recipes on that site.

Garlic Expressions Salad Dressing

This morning, I got this email from Tony:

Hello! I’m a fellow garlic lover from NW Ohio. I was wondering if any of you have ever tried Garlic Expressions Salad Dressing? It is made locally here in Perrysburg, Ohio by a privately owned company created by a chef out of his garage! I do not work or endorse them at all. I just love the stuff!! Here is a link for you to check out.

https://www.garlic-expressions.com/