Garlic: Garden Grown

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Those photos, top and bottom?  They are why I grow garlic.  That, and . . .    I can.  I didn't know that before last year.  That I can grow garlic.  That it would be so easy and so satisfying.

How can I explain what it's like to walk out to the garden, dig up a huge head of garlic, wash it, peel it, roast, saute, grate raw, do whatever with it,  fresh from the earth?

The cloves are pure, pure white.  Moist.  Mild yet unmistakably garlicky.  No bitter germ here.

As they dry and cure their pungent odor wafts about the kitchen; not overbearing, but a gentle reminder that cloves are at hand when you need them and that you will need fewer in each dish with the ageing.

If you're a garlic lover, as in more is always better, - better yet, if you grow your own - you know of what I speak.

I've just pulled the last of this year's crop. The braid you see below is a small example of my hoard and I hope  I will have enough to last through the winter.

Already I'm turning and feeding the garden beds for an early spring planting when I plan to double the crop.

I also plan to document the process and will bring it to these pages as the months progress.  I'm even going to experiment with planting a few in pots, just to see how they do.  I'll let you know.

Copyright 2005-2012, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Garden Fresh Recipe for Gremolata with Meyer Lemon and Capers

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Gremolata with Meyer Lemon and Capers

Everything but the capers came from my back yard.  This is the way I love to cook (well, alright ... chop):  go outside, pick a lemon, pull a head of garlic, grab some parsley  ...   put it together and you have a bursting-with-flavors condiment that can be sprinkled on grilled salmon, a slow-cooker stew, roasted vegetables.

Please don't skip making this because you don't have a Meyer lemon tree, or parsley, or garlic growing in your garden.

Please.  Make it anyway.  It's so good.

Gremolata is a an Italian condiment traditionally made with garlic, lemon zest, and parsley.  The capers are my addition to a fairly standard recipe. Leave them out if you wish.

Garden Fresh Gremolata with Capers
Ingredients:

• Flat leaf parsley
• 1 Meyer lemon, or regular lemon if you prefer
• several cloves garlic, fresh if possible
• 2 teaspoons capers, drained
• sea salt to taste, optional

Preparation:
Coarsely chop enough parsley to measure 1-2 tablespoons.
Zest the lemon and chop to measure about 2 teaspoons
Peel and coarsely chop a few cloves garlic to measure 1 tablespoon (less if you find fresh garlic overpowering).
Finely chop the capers. Set aside.
Put the prepared parsley, garlic and lemon zest together on a cutting board and chop together until finely minced.  Don't mince so much that the ingredients become wet; you want this to be on the dry side.
Add the capers and mix well.  Adjust with sea salt if desired.
That's it!

Keep leftover gremolata in a plastic wrap-covered dish in the fridge.  Use it within a few days so it doesn't get sad. :-(

Copyright 2005-2012, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

From the Garden: Recipe for Oven Roasted Potato Gratin with Bacon and Cream

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New russet potato

These days, my cooking style leans heavily toward whimsy.  Rarely do I plan a recipe or meal ahead of time other than ethereal thoughts.  (Which is why you will seldom see a holiday recipe on this blog that is posted before the actual holiday in any given year.)

And while it's true that I wake up most mornings thinking about what I'll cook for dinner, they are wispy thoughts, changing often during the day, usually inspired by what's directly in front of me - say, a freshly dug potato the proportions of which could easily feed two people.

Garden-fresh China rose garlic and sweet onions

So when I pulled said potato from the ground the other day, not so much visions of a meal appeared as floating bubbles containing words, tastes and smells and all I knew was that that particular very large potato would be combined with also-just-pulled onions and garlic.  Simple, straightforward food.


Bacon came into play when dicing changed to slicing which conjured up layers; cream, as onions and garlic were sizzling in bacon fat.


I know.  Bacon fat.  Cream.  Forgive me.    This is whimsy at its delicious worst.

Oven roasted garden potatoes with bacon and cream

Eat too much of this and it will expand your waistline.  [Suggestion: serve it to a crowd, guaranteeing no leftovers.]

Just dug, first-of-the-season russet potatoes have a thin skin (at least in my garden), are drier than the more waxy, less absorbent Yukon golds, and combine beautifully with any liquid that you want the potato to absorb, giving back creamy goodness on your plate. I recommend them in a dish like this.

The potatoes are growing just behind those wild onion stalks

Am I terrible to post a hot, oven-centric recipe like this in July?  Not in my kitchen.  The "summer" months of coastal far-northern California are foggy and cool - sometimes darn cold.  My zucchini struggle. The potatoes love it.


Oven Roasted Potato Gratin with Onions, Garlic, Bacon and Cream
Recipe by Christine Hills
Serves 8-12 small slices
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Ingredients:

• 1 or 2 large new russet potatoes, scrubbed and sliced crosswise in 1/8" to 1/4" thickness
• 1 medium sweet onion such as Vidalia or Walla Walla, peeled, cut in half from stalk to roots, then thinly sliced into half moons
• 6 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise
• 6 slices bacon, cooked to well done, save the bacon fat!
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup cream
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black peppercorns to taste

Preparation:
Set the oven to 350-degrees.
Prep the potatoes, onions and garlic per the descriptions above and set aside.
Start a large cast iron skillet or other heavy 12-inch skillet over high heat and add the bacon. When the bacon fat starts to melt turn the heat to medium-high and cook, turning over halfway through, until just crispy.  Remove the bacon to paper towels to drain.  Pour all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the skillet, reserving the bacon fat, and return the skillet to the heat.
Add the sliced onions and garlic to the pan and sauté over medium heat until soft and just beginning to get golden.  Remove them to a plate and set aside.
Add a bit more bacon fat to the skillet and warm it, if necessary, until fully liquid then remove the pan from the heat.
Place a layer of sliced potatoes in the bottom of the skillet.  I usually lay them down in overlapping rings beginning at the outside edge of the skillet and working to the center. Salt and pepper liberally then put down a second layer of potatoes. 
Spread the onion mixture evenly over the potatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Do another layer of potatoes over the onions and yet another layer if you have enough potatoes.  Again, salt and pepper liberally but to your own taste.  Potatoes love salt.
Pour the cream around the edge of the skillet all the way around and then over the top of the potatoes.
Cut or crumble the bacon into small pieces and sprinkle these over the top.
Cover the skillet with a lid or foil and roast for 40-60 minutes or until all the cream is absorbed and the potatoes come apart when nudged with a fork.
Remove the lid and roast 7-10 minutes more to brown the top.
Slice into wedges to serve.

• If I don't have my son Josh's home cured bacon on hand, I use Niman Ranch applewood smoked, un-cured bacon which may be found at almost any well stocked grocery store.
• I use Strauss Family Creamery organic heavy cream in redeemable glass bottles.

[That whimsy part I was talking about? - where I change my mind mid-chop/slice/or dice and, whoops!, go off in another direction? - that can be a bit disconcerting to friends or family members helping out in the kitchen .  (Which, I suppose, is why I prefer to cook by myself.)  Although Mr CC, who is quite used to my culinary antics after almost 30 years of wedded bliss, has become quite the sous chef, able to deftly change directions at my whim - and he doesn't give me grief about it.]

Copyright © 2005-2012, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Basics: Garlic Rubbed Crostini Recipe

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 I know.  Crostini.  Big whoop.

Anyone can make it.

And you can hardly call it a recipe; a method is more apropo.

But this blog began in lieu of a family cookbook for my sons and this is the year that every so often I will find the basics that appear throughout this blog and give them their own post.

 

Crostini, as they are called in Italian, crouton or croûtes, as they are called in France, are simply small slices of bread that have been toasted in the oven.  They can be plain or brushed with olive oil as I have done here.  They are the building blocks of myriad small-bite toppings.

Begin with a long baguette of good artisan bread.  Cut the baguette on the diagonal into 1/4-inch slices, brush one side lightly with a good olive oil and toast in a 400-degree oven for 7-12 minutes or until golden brown.

 Like this.

Take a clove or two of garlic, peeled and cut in half, and when the crostini come out of the oven, quickly rub the cut half of the garlic clove over the olive oil-brushed side of each piece. Not a lot, just one or two gentle passes. You want the essence of garlic, not an overpowering crescendo.

Let the crostini cool a bit then add your favorite toppings, just like you would do with crackers.  Or grate a little cheese over the top, like I did in this post, maybe add a few grains of coarse sea salt, and pop them back in the oven until the cheese melts.

Float them in soups, serve them with stews.  Serve them topped with pâtés or your favorite tapenade.  They are hands down a giant leap over crackers from a box.

 

Christine's Garlic Rubbed Crostini

(print recipe)

Ingredients:

1 long artisan baguette, preferrably sourdough

good olive oil for brushing

1 or 2 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 400-degrees.

Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.

Slice the baguette on the diagonal into thin (no more than 1/4-inch) slices.

Pour the olive oil into a bowl and using a pastry brush (I keep one just for this purpose), brush a small amount of olive oil on one side of each slice of bread and line them up on the sheet pan.

Toast the slices in the oven for 7 to 12 minutes, watching them carefully so they don't burn, until they are golden brown.  They will be crisp.

Remove the pan from the oven and working quickly, rub the cut garlic over the olive oiled side of each crostini.  Be careful, they will be very hot.

When finished, the crostini may be served right away or allowed to cool completely and put into a ziptop freezer bag to store for several days on the counter or several months in the freezer.

So simple.  And so good.

~  Lest you think I'm losing my culinary mind, most folks know croutons as those small toasted cubes of bread that are tossed into salads.  A crouton is simply a small toasted piece of bread, it can be cubed or it can be sliced and comes from the French word croûte, which means crust. To make it easy, just call them crostini.

~  I keep a pastry brush separate from my baking brushes specifically for the purpose of brushing olive onto things.  The brush is easily cleaned by immersing it into a bowl of hot, soapy water and letting it sit for a few minutes then running hot water over it.  Remove as much of the water that you can with a dish towel and let the brush air dry before putting it away.  This is not a product plug, but Dawn dishwashing detergent is perfect for this task as it cuts through the oil quickly.

Related recipes you may want to try from Christine Cooks:
Simple Chicken Liver Pate
Chicken Liver Pate on Garlic Toasts
Sun-dried Tomato, Kalamata, Almond Tapenade

Crostini recipes from other food bloggers:
Best Crostini Recipe Ever from Bleeding Espresso
Olive Crostini from Simply Recipes
Olive Oil-Artichoke Crostini from Smitten Kitchen
Beet Greens on Crostini from White on Rice Couple

Copyright © 2005-2011, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Garlic And Herb Aioli

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In my neck of the woods the organic garlic available at our local Co-op right now is the kind that stores over the winter. The new spring garlic won't be available for several months yet and the beautiful dried heads a month or more after that. Being a garlic lover, I make do with this older, very pungent garlic that gets a bit funky this time of year. Just such a head was in my garlic basket yesterday, needing attention of some kind; either cook it right then or heave it into the compost bin within the week. Ugh. So far this isn't a very appetizing post is it?

Hang on, I'm getting to the good part. I separated the head into cloves, cut off the tops and put them into my little garlic roaster with some balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Roasting them, covered, in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes yielded a different beast entirely - beautifully carmelized, sweet, nutty, delicious, soft garlic cloves. A sublime transformation if ever there was one.

Garlic, of course, is one of the world's healthiest foods. Packed with nutrients, when eaten regularly garlic is a proven cholesterol buster, antioxident, anti-inflamation, heart healthy food. There's a little blurb in the current issue of Gourmet Magazine that says if you crush garlic and allow it to sit for 15 minutes prior to cooking, compounds form that help relax blood vessels. What a great tip. And there's always the vampire thing...

After roasting, peel those puppies and mash them with fresh herbs and a little Kosher salt.

To the mash, add Vegenaise, Meyer lemon juice, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and mix well to blend it all into an aioli. There you are, the healthful values of garlic and fresh herbs, a no cholesterol mayonnaise, and the delights of Meyer lemon juice.

For a very healthy low carb lunch, take a home grown lettuce leaf or two (I used romaine, lolla rossa and arugula from my garden), lay down some shredded lean pork tenderloin, place a dollop of your aioli on top, roll everything up in the lettuce and eat. Swoon. Repeat.



This is my offering to Weekend Herb Blogging, an event begun by my friend Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen. WHB is being hosted this week by Anna of Morsels and Musings. Click here to read about this long-running, very popular event and then check out the roundup at Anna's blog in the next few days.

Garlic and Herb Aioli

Christine's original recipe

Ingredients:

1 head garlic, separated into cloves, tips cut off

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

3 tablespoon Vegenaise

2 teaspoons Meyer lemon juice

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Place the garlic cloves with the balsamic vinegar and the olive oil into a small oven proof container that has a lid (aluminum foil will do also). Roast the garlic in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes or until the garlic is a very soft golden brown with bits of carmelization. Remove from the oven and allow to cool with the lid off.

Peel the garlic cloves and place on a plate.

Chop the herbs very finely and put over the garlic.

Sprinkle on a pinch of coarse Kosher salt. This will help with the mashing.

Using a fork, mash the garlic and herbs together until they form a paste. Don't worry about bits of carmelized garlic that won't mash. This is rustic aioli.

Put the mash into a bowl, add the Vegenaise and lemon juice and stir to blend.

Season to taste with fine Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

Cooks' Notes:

This makes about 1/3 cup of aioli. Use it on fish, chicken, pork or as a vegetable dip. It should keep in the fridge for 1 week.

Follow Your Heart Vegenaise can be found in many health food or organically inclined stores in the refrigerator section, usually by the tofu. It can also be ordered online.

Copyright © 2005-2008, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved

Garlic In An Olive Oil, Balsamic, Rosemary Reduction ... With Beans

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You could've knocked me over with a feather...

... when I saw the Garlic Filling that Tanna, of My Kitchen in Half Cups, had made to put into a garlic bread that she and her friend Sue were making during one veeerrrry long and hilarious bread making process and thank heavens they had wine!

Me, I stopped at the garlic filling. My god. The ingredients. The cooking process. My head was spinning with the possibilities of what to pair with it.

Tanna says she adapted this recipe from one in the bread book, Exceptional Breads by Dan Lepard, which seems to be available through Amazon in Canada and the UK, but not yet in the US. Weird.

As I was drooling all over my keyboard at that garlic filling, we lost power. Thunk. When that happens, we turn everything off, hunker down and try not to use water (community well and all that). At first, PG&E said power would be restored within 2 to 3 hours. That was at 1:00 p.m. yesterday. We got our power back this morning around 10. (Update: The power went off again at 1 p.m. and didn't come back on until 9 that night. Grrr.)

Not being able to be online or anything else that uses electricity, I started peeling garlic and, using our old Wedgewood stove that keeps me cooking through hail, snow, sleet, rain and power outages, made this exceptionally delicious garlic stuff of Tanna's. Then I made Rancho Gordo's Good Mother Stallard beans (sorry folks, our temp highs are in the 60s these days). Then I put the two of them together. What can I say? It was exceptional.

Go here for the garlic recipe. I didn't fully reduce the liquid as I knew I wouldn't be using it in bread and wanted to retain some of that flavorful olive oil.

Go here for how to cook the beans.

Put 'em together. Mash 'em a little if you want and use as a spread on your favorite cracker. Or just grab a spoon and dig in. Or take them sailing, which is what we're about to do. I'll be making this again soon. Like tomorrow. Thank you Tanna!

Copyright © 2005-2007, Christine Cooks. All rights reserved