47 replies to this topic

[MosJan]

Company Garlic Chicken

21/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in serving-size pieces

1 Tb. canola oil

3 bulbs garlic, cloves separated

3/4 Tb. each fresh thyme and rosemary (or 1/2 tsp. each if using dried herbs)

11/2 cups dry white wine, or enough to cover chicken in casserole

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup minced parsley

In a large skillet, fry chicken in oil over medium-high heat until golden brown. Salt and pepper chicken. Layer chicken in 4-quart casserole. Remove papery outer covering of garlic (do not peel). Put garlic on top of and among the chicken pieces. Sprinkle with thyme and rosemary. Add wine to cover. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until liquid is reduced and garlic is very soft. Before serving, sprinkle with parsley. Serve with toasted Italian or French bread (squeeze soft garlic onto bread). Serves 6.


Per serving: 143 calories, 22.3g protein, 2.2g carbohydrates, 0.2g fiber, 2.4g fat (0.4g saturated), 153mg sodium

Garlic Bean Soup

2 cups vegetable or chicken broth

8 very large garlic cloves, peeled

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

4 cups cooked white beans, or 2 19-ounce cans white kidney or cannellini beans, drained

Put the broth, garlic and onion in a large bowl; cover. Microwave for 20 minutes on high, or until vegetables are soft. Transfer to a blender or food processor, add half the beans and pure. Return soup to bowl, add remaining beans and microwave 5 minutes, or until beans are heated through. Serves 6.


Per serving: 195 calories, 13.9g protein, 33.9g carbohydrates, 8g fiber, 0.9g fat (0.25g saturated), 267mg sodium

Quick Guacamole

1 medium ripe avocado, mashed

1 tsp. lemon or lime juice

1 large garlic clove, crushed

4 drops hot sauce, such as Tabasco

1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients. Serve with tortilla chips. Serves 2.

Per serving: 166 calories, 2.1g protein, 8.4g carbohydrates, 4.2g fiber, 15.4g fat (2.5g saturated), 277mg sodium

[MosJan]

Garlic through history

Louis Pasteur noted in 1858 that bacteria died when they were doused with garlic. At the turn of the century, garlic was the drug of choice for tuberculosis. Albert Schweitzer used garlic to treat cholera and typhus. And during World War II, British physicians treated battle wounds with garlic. In Russia, it's called Russian penicillin.

[MosJan]

Learn2 Prepare Garlic



For the sweet smell of garlicky success...

There's nothing as delicious as a home-cooked Italian meal complete with pasta, fresh tomato sauce and garlic bread. Except maybe a pungent Thai stirfry with snow peas, red chilies, holy basil and garlic. Or perhaps a fiery Indian curry with cumin, coriander, cayenne, and garlic. You get the idea--garlic is good. And it's been hailed as a health tonic by traditional healers for centuries, now with the backing of modern medical research.

Unfortunately, peeling the cloves of garlic required to give those dishes their zing is the sort of culinary chore that can be tiresome for even an experienced cook. And the same is true for crushing and mincing garlic.

But it doesn't have to be that way: here are some simple instructions which should help any amateur chef overcome their fear of garlic--unless, of course, they're a vampire.



You should remove all of your garlic cloves from the head before starting. Crushing garlic is recommended if you want a stronger garlic flavor--this releases more of the pungent flavor and natural juices of garlic. Marinades and foods such as Caesar salad and shrimp scampi demand crushed garlic.

Garlic chopped into slices or larger pieces will usually add a light flavor to your dish. It's less likely to dissolve or soften, so you won't get as strong a garlic flavor as you will with crushed garlic.

A happy medium could be mincing garlic which is less pungent than crushed garlic, but still adds great flavor for recipes that require stir-frying or sauteeing.

Since minced garlic is very finely chopped into small cubical pieces, it will dissolve more easily when cooking. In stir-fry dishes especially, minced garlic adds a great deal of flavor to the cooking oil used in the frying pan.
Learn2 Prepare Garlic

Part 1: Peel garlic

Begin at the end

Looking at the garlic clove, you'll see a tough piece at the end. This is the part that was attached to the bottom of the garlic head before the clove was removed.

Place the garlic clove on the chopping block, and using the tip of your knife, slice off that end.

Break the skin

Keeping the garlic on the chopping block, use your thumb and index finger to hold the sides of the clove.

Hold the knife with the other hand. Again using the tip of the knife, carefully make a vertical slit from top to bottom in the skin of the garlic.

Tap into it

Keeping the garlic on the chopping block, tap the clove once or twice with the back of the blade of the knife.

Peel it off

The skin should be nicely loosened at this point and can easily be pulled off in one piece.

If the skin is still not loose enough, repeat Step 3.


Carefully making a slit down the side of the skin may help matters.


The garlic is now ready to be crushed, chopped, minced, or used whole. Yes, you've read it correctly: whole garlic! Try it in stews or with grilled vegetables

[ October 02, 2001: Message edited by: MosJan ]

[MosJan]

Learn2 Prepare Garlic (Continued)

Part 2: Crush garlic



Have a whack at it

Place the unpeeled garlic clove on chopping block.

Grasping the butcher's knife by the handle (with the blade upside down), give the garlic a hard whack with the back of the blade.


If it's not pretty well collapsed, give it another whack.
Start chopping

Once the garlic is well crushed, you can chop it further. Hold the knife handle with one hand and hold the top of the blade at the front with the fingertips of your other hand. You can then chop the garlic to your preference.


Again, the more you chop the garlic, the more pungency it will add to your dish. Smaller garlic pieces will release more of their juices and dissolve better

[MosJan]

Learn2 Prepare Garlic (Continued)

Part 2: Chop garlic



Place the peeled clove of garlic on the chopping block. Hold the knife with one hand and the front of the blade with the other.

Starting at one end of the clove move the knife up and down until you've made pieces of the desired size.


The partially chopped garlic may start to spread out away from your knife. Angle the dull edge of the knife towards the garlic, scoop it back into a pile and continue chopping.


Again, the thinner the slice, the more it will dissolve--thus adding more flavor than if you slice it thicker.

[MosJan]

Learn2 Prepare Garlic (Continued)

Part 4: Mince garlic

When you set out to mince garlic, you can end with a pile of neatly minced garlic or a cutting board with garlic chunks of various sizes spread all over the place. The key to ending with a neat pile lies in two techniques: the finger position of the hand that holds the garlic, and the slicing motion of the knife. The result will be tiny cubes of garlic, perfect for salad dressings, marinades, and dishes requiring a lighter touch of garlic.

Make the vertical slices

Place a whole, peeled garlic clove on the chopping block. Hold the clove steady on the sides of the clove.

Using the tip of your knife, make three or four vertical slices in the garlic clove, making sure to cut all the way through.


Making these cuts of equal thickness will give you the best results.
Make a crisscross or grid pattern

Turn the garlic clove 90 degrees. Again, with the tip of your knife, make three or four more vertical cuts so that you have a criss-cross or grid pattern.

Hold the clove

Two crucial points will help you at this juncture: the finger position and the slicing motion.With the tip of the knife, mince garlic by cutting horizontally from top.

Take a look at the thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers of your non-dominant hand (that's the hand you'll hold the garlic with, not the hand that holds the knife. These will be the mechanism that controls the thickness of the tiny garlic cubes you about to make.


The index and middle fingers are the front runners--they rest on the front edge of the garlic where you'll start slicing. Equally important is the angle of these fingers: the second knucles are vertical, with the first knuckles (the ones nearest to the garlic) curled in slightly away from the edge of the clove. (This will prevent you from mincing your fingertips.) There should only be a small portion of the clove visible as you look down your fingers from above.


The thumb has an important function which will be revealed to you a little later. For now let it rest on the cutting board directly behind the clove and the fingers in front.
Slice with rhythm

Rest the flat side of the knife against your fingers. Using this placement as a guide, the knife stays in the same plane--it doesn't move laterally, either toward your fingers or away from them.


Lift the knife off the cutting board, but still in contact with your fingers. Lift it a little away from you and the garlic, and towards the other side of the cutting board.


Slice downwards on the criss-crossed using the heel of the knife (its back edge). As you slice downwards, also draw the knife towards you. This downward and sideways movement slices through garlic more easily, leaving you with a neat pile instead of a big sloppy mess.


Lift the knife again, up and away from you, and again slice downwards and towards you. Practice this movement without even slicing any garlic. Soon you'll realize, as the movement gets smoother, that it's circular. Keep at and you'll feel the rhythm of this ancient motion.
Before you slice any further, read on...



Thrust with the thumb

Now that you've got the circular motion and you're slicing with rhythm, you're ready to incorporate the thumb into this symphony of movement.


The thumb is the driver of the mincing operation. As you lift the knife up and away from you, push the garlic towards the knife. You'll have it out just in time for the knife to descend and slice through it. Again, as the knife ascends, you push the garlic out just enough to make a small cube from the criss-cross pattern you've already made. The thumb forces the garlic out into the slicing line, and aslo prevents it from making an rear-exit escape. Its destiny to become minced is certain.


Work slowly and carefully at first. Eventually you'll be able to mince with great speed with this technique, but don't rush it , or your fingers will be sorry that you did.


As you get towards the end of the clove, you may find it necessary to angle the blade slighty in towards the fingers. But keep the flat of the blade resting on the second knuckles! Look closely where you're slicing and you'll never get a cut. As you get o the very tip of the clove, just take your fingers away and chop up the remains into small cubes. Bon appetit!

-end-

[Azat]

Doctor Movses,
Will garlic help my mental condition too?

Es inches lsel MosJan?

I too love garlic. Now if someone can combine garlic and beer I would be in heaven...

[MosJan]

Azat jan anshusht karor e ognel na manavand yerb Sxtor@ matutsor@ 7' boyov blandinka e ir lorazgestov, ( Lorazgest@ partadir che bujman hamar )

Sxtor yev garejur ??: inchu che Rost yerats yev arrov hamemmvats sxtor ches prtsel ??
MI lav ParskaHay barekam unem vor Sxtori pahatso er berel indz hamar.
qatsaxov yev giniov patrastvats er, yev kartsem mi 7-its-8 tary pahvats er.
bavakanin hajor er

der k@xosenq brb

[Harut]

Mos jan, ich es skhtori masin grum es, computers el chi sarnum.
menak te piti kits brnats nstem dem@.

[ExtraHye]

Come on people, post more garlic recipes

[THOTH]

I prepared a large meal for visiting relatives this last Saturday and nearly every dish (except the fruit salad) had garlic in it (hows that)...I did warn everyone in advance...all quite enjoyd the food BTW....

[ExtraHye]

I prepared a large meal for visiting relatives this last Saturday and nearly every dish (except the fruit salad) had garlic in it (hows that)...I did warn everyone in advance...all quite enjoyd the food BTW....

What are you waiting for kind sir. Share the wealth!!! Tell us how you made it. Take notes Azat!!! We're all coming to your house for dinner.

[THOTH]

LOL...well I can tell you what I made basically...(Chicken) Shish Taoak (from Maral's recpie - using Perdue Chicken tenders....and lots of fresh garlic!), potatoes al Gratin...- Yukon gold and some redskined gold fleshes taters I had lying around (yummy) - boiled up, roughly mashed up then I added a vidalia onion and hungarian hot pepper mix (that I had grilled with pepper and oil) and some Boyjian's garlic and basil oils...then mixed melted jarlesburg and swiss cheese in...most yummy (a big hit)...my own invention BTW...then a aged Balsamic vineger & olive (& basil & garlic oils - as above) - (with French Mustard - frm Provance with parsley & herbs) - and lots of ground black, red and white pepper! etc etc...oh yes - then fresh eggplant - (2 diff kinds) from my neighbors garden - sliced and grilled - basted with (you guessed it) - salt, pepper and garlic & basil oils....plus a wonderful mixed fruit salad....and of course wine...a 99 JJ Prum Rielsing Spatlese (Graacher vinyard on the Mosel)...and an exceptional 98 La Fluer Petrus - Pomerol...nuf said! Yeah - the meal went over well - so well I now have been invited to give cooking lessons!

Oh I forgot to add the mix of about 5-6 differnt kinds of peppers I grilled up - mild to very hot (super hot jalapenos!)

Edited by THOTH, 24 August 2004 - 04:07 PM.

[Azat]

Mr. Winston, it is your time to add some recopies to the cookbook my friend. Even Amy added some so you're up next...

[THOTH]

Mr. Winston, it is your time to add some recopies to the cookbook my friend. Even Amy added some so you're up next...

Yeah OK - I will - at some point here - where to categorize them is my problem...my taters fer instance....there is actually a story behind them. 15 years ago - wife & I were on our honeymoon down in the Yucatan (4 days in Cozamel followed by a 9-10 day excursion out into/throu the Yucatan jungle cruising the Mayan archeological sites (and a few days in Merida - the capital of Yucatan...) et cetc. Well I think it was in Coba - the largest Yucatan city (discoved only in 1974) - where we stopped at this little place (restaurant) outside of the city - but it was closed....we were starving - had been wandering the site all day - so i ocnvinced the owner to make us something - and he made us "Mayan Fries"! - lol - they were wonderful - taters smothered in cheese & onions!!! So ever since I have been attempting to perfect and add to the recepie...so yeah OK - I'll put in in their somewhere....Oh and after our meal in Coba a bunch of locals came in and some Mexican bus drivers (who were driving a bunch of young French tourists around). It was one of their birthdays and the owner asked us to stay for the party - great fun - lots of rum was consumed and they had guitars and we were all singing. Later the bus drivers had to entertain thier French contingent at the club med (where we also were staying)...my wife - not a big drinker - was pretty much passed out - so I left her in the room and went out to party. The French gals all thought I was another Mexican bus driver!...and they kept buying me drinks and dancing with me...(and trying to bed me! lol)...which I succesfully resisted (being on my honeymoon & all - lol - I probably could have had my choice between 1/2 dozen really cute young French gals...maybe even several at once! - who knows? - shame in hindsight...in a sense...)...still great fun...

Oh and I forgot to add about the mustard on that salad dressing (from my prior post) - garlic & parsely!! (so this post is on - topic) - lol

[Anileve]

and they kept buying me drinks and dancing with me...(and trying to bed me! lol)...which I succesfully resisted (being on my honeymoon & all - lol - I probably could have had my choice between 1/2 dozen really cute young French gals...maybe even several at once! - who knows? - shame in hindsight...in a sense...)...still great fun...

Ahem and all of these thoughts were inpired by the garlic thread?

I have another question to ask, I know it's been a flow this week. What are good sides for BBQ? Something not overly heavy to accentuate the flavor of the meat and yet not be too filling. I am so not a cook, so I forgot everything except for the eggplant, tomato and pepper salad where the veggies are BBQed as well. The vegetables take too much time to peel and are messy, any other suggestions which are easier? And no conventional green salad either please.

[Anileve]

Can no one provide me with a simple recipe? Time is running short. By the way where are Stormy and Anoushik? It's not the same without them

[ExtraHye]

Can no one provide me with a simple recipe?

Azat and Maral, what are you two waiting for? Our little Eve needs help here.

[Maral]

ANILEVE,there are tons of recipes,only have a sec now...the grilled veggies are the best aren't they?You can also get some whole fresh mushrooms,drench them in olive oil add oregano ,hot red pepper,salt or garlic salt and grill...soooooo good
what kind of a BBQ is it?Are we talking Kebab?or burgers?And are we talking Persian seasonings or Middle Easter seasonings...so much to consider...like I told Azat before,the only things I'm anal about in my life are RECIPES

oh and EXTRA..sooooooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyy

MOSJAN,man your recipes look good!Must try

Edited by Maral, 27 August 2004 - 04:56 PM.

[Maral]

Mr. Winston, it is your time to add some recopies to the cookbook my friend. Even Amy added some so you're up next...

EVEN AMY?