There’s Something in the Air: Garlic
I love garlic. And although it figures prominently in many cuisines, when I think of garlic, I always think of France.
It’s a French given that garlic, like wine, is good for you. Back in 1722, garlic was the main ingredient in “four thieves’ vinegar” sold in Marseilles as a preventive measure against the plague. The French still believe that garlic has medicinal properties, but today they revere it primarily for its culinary qualities. What would escargots be without garlic butter, or bouillabaisse without garlicky rouille ?
The fresher the garlic, the milder the taste. Fresh garlic is plump and firm with a dry papery skin. Store it in a dry, cool spot (I keep it in the refrigerator). If the garlic cloves are sprouting, the garlic may be bitter and very strong; you may choose not to use it at all, but if you insist on using it, use less than the dish normally requires.
When buying, look for heads with large cloves so that peeling them is not a painstaking chore. The easiest way to peel cloves is to crush them with the flat of a knife; the skins will slip right off.
Peeling is often not even necessary. For many recipes you can just toss whole cloves into the pan and remove them at the end of cooking; they will lend a subtle seasoning.
When minced garlic is required, I mince it by hand or in the food processor. To mince garlic in the food processor, it’s essential to have a dry work bowl and metal blade. Turn on the machine and drop the cloves (as many as you need) one by one in rapid succession through the feed tube. Keep the processor on until all the little bits of garlic stop flipping around inside the bowl. At that point, the garlic will be as finely minced as possible.
The recipes that follow are easy summer preparations. The garlicky oven-fried chicken is a reworking of one of my recipes that recently won $25,000 for a chicken-cooking contestant (unfortunately the contestant was not me). It’s low in fat and is great served hot, cold or at room temperature. The sauteed broccoli and sugar snap peas with mushrooms and garlic are crisp and bright-tasting; they’re also great served hot or at room temperature. The garlic mayonnaise is a modern aioli that uses nonfat mayonnaise, thereby eliminating the fat as well as the danger of using raw egg yolks.
This “fried” chicken has everything going for it: an intense garlic flavor; a low-fat crisp crust (without the skin), and versatility--it’s great hot or cold. Cooking the garlic before adding it to the rest of the coating ingredients makes it less harsh. A food processor or blender makes fast work of this preparation.
GARLICKY OVEN-FRIED CHICKEN
2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons honey
4 chicken thighs, skinned
4 drumsticks, skinned
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Bread Crumb Coating
Stir mustard, water and honey together in small bowl. Trim off fat from chicken pieces. Coat each piece with mustard mixture. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Dip in Bread Crumb Coating to coat with even layer of crumbs. Brush off excess and gently pat crumbs in place.
Place chicken, meatier side up, in lightly greased jellyroll pan. Bake in center of oven at 400 degrees until crisp and browned, about 30 minutes for breasts, 40 minutes for thighs and drumsticks. Serve hot, at room temperature or chilled. Makes 4 servings.
Bread Crumb Coating
5 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/3 cups fresh, finely processed white bread crumbs (about 3 slices soft white bread, 3 ounces total)
2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Combine garlic and olive oil in small skillet or microwaveable dish. Heat on stove top or in microwave oven until garlic is fragrant but not browned, watching closely. Combine garlic and oil with bread crumbs, cornmeal, lemon zest, salt and pepper and mix well. Crumb mixture should be fine and uniform.
Note : 2 chicken thighs, 2 drumsticks and 2 breasts may be substituted for 4 thighs and 4 breasts.
This vegetable combination is great as a hot dish or cold. When serving it cold, toss the vegetables with the orange juice just before serving to avoid any discoloration of the green vegetables. Blanching the broccoli and sugar snap peas and then stopping the cooking with cold water ensures their bright color in the saute.
SAUTEED BROCCOLI AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH MUSHROOMS AND GARLIC
1 1/2 pounds broccoli
7 ounces sugar snap peas, strings removed
3 tablespoons light-tasting olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
4 large mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon orange juice
Cut off broccoli florets. Peel stems and cut into 1/3-inch slices. Bring large pot salted water to boil. Add broccoli stems and cook 3 minutes. Add florets and cook 1 minute. Add sugar snaps and cook 20 seconds. Drain vegetables immediately into colander. Hold under cold running water until all vegetables are cold, to ensure bright color. Can be cooked ahead to this point and refrigerated overnight, covered airtight.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in 10-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and mushrooms. Cook just until mushrooms are heated through, about 3 minutes, stirring often. Add cooked vegetables. Cook over high heat until hot, about 3 minutes, stirring often but gently. Add remaining olive oil and orange juice. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve hot, at room temperature or chilled. If serving cold, add orange juice just before ready to use. Makes 4 servings.
Here, garlic-infused oil is brushed on baguettes that have been cut in half lengthwise, then lightly seasoned with salt and pepper and sprinkled with shredded imported Parmesan cheese. Julienned fresh basil leaves are strewn over the surface of the bread when it emerges from the oven.
GARLIC BREAD WITH PARMESAN CHEESE AND FRESH BASIL
2 1/2 tablespoons light-tasting olive oil
5 large cloves garlic, minced
1 baguette loaf, split lengthwise
Salt, pepper
1/2 cup finely shredded (not minced or ground) imported Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup julienned fresh basil leaves
Combine olive oil and garlic in small skillet or microwaveable dish. Heat mixture on stove top or in microwave oven until garlic is fragrant but not browned, watching closely. Strain through fine sieve, pressing firmly to extract all flavor and oil.
While still warm, brush oil over surface of each baguette half. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Can be made to this point and refrigerated overnight or frozen up to 1 month, wrapped airtight. Let thaw in wrapping at room temperature, if frozen.
Place baguette halves on baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees until well-browned, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Evenly distribute julienned basil leaves over each. Cut each half into 4 equal portions. Serve immediately. Makes 8 pieces.
Aioli, a rich, garlicky mayonnaise, is often called “the butter of Provence.” It’s the focus of the grand aioli, an impressive array of poached fish, salt cod, hard-cooked eggs, snails and a wide variety of cooked vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, onions, green beans, artichokes and zucchini, all arranged around the sauce. In this low-fat, short - cut version, you can adjust the garlic to your own preference. Use as a sauce on any hot or cold fish or seafood, vegetable, poultry or meat, as well as for sandwiches, dips for crudites and as a base for salad dressings. Any mix of fresh herbs can be added to this simple preparation.
GARLICKY MAYONNAISE A LA 1991
3/4 cup nonfat or low-fat mayonnaise
3 large cloves garlic, minced
Freshly ground white pepper
Combine mayonnaise, garlic and white pepper in food processor or blender until as smooth as possible. Can be refrigerated up to 3 days. Flavor will intensify. Makes 3/4 cup.