About This Blog

This is, as the title indicates, my kitchen notebook (the header is actually a scanned image of the cover of a notebook that I started using about 25 years ago and the background is a stained page from that book). I am not a professional recipe writer. If you try any recipe here, please keep that in mind, these recipes have not been tested by an independent tester. The "recipes" are often not even really recipes but rather a list of ingredients that I've noted after preparing a dish on the fly that I thought came out well. Perhaps I've also added some instructions, but I rarely keep accurate track of what I've done in terms of time or temperature, I've just noted to the best of my memory (feeble) what I did.

Please feel free to take some inspiration from here, but on the other hand, please give credit where it is due. I also welcome any constructive comments that you might have if you are inspired to try a recipe. Questions are welcome, but keep in mind that I may not remember specifics. The dishes do evolve over time...

Thank you and enjoy!

Garlic Confit

There are innumerable recipes for confited garlic to be found online. They are all pretty much the  same, slow cook garlic in oil, generally olive oil, until the garlic is tender. Some recipes call for whole peeled cloves of garlic, others just require that you slice whole heads in half, or simply cut the tops of the heads off to expose the tops of the cloves. My method is slightly different with the inclusion of a liquid. I like to add a bit of wine or broth, most of which cooks off, but it adds another dimension of flavor and helps to keep the garlic from browning.

This isn't a method of preserving garlic for an extended period of time, there's the issue of keeping a non-acidic food immersed in an anerobic environment which can allow the growth of pathogenic bacteria - you know, that botulism thing. But it will keep safely in the fridge for a few weeks. So make up a small batch and use it up quickly, which won't be a problem because it's so delicious.

How to use it? Any way that you would use fresh garlic and then some. I like to mash a few cloves into salad dressings. When I feel indulgent I brush some of the garlic oil over a slice of rustic bread, smear on a few cloves of confited garlic, sprinkle some grated cheese over the top and bake until crispy. Do the same thing with bread cubes and you have the best croutons. Make a small batch of confit, but when it's done immediately add some softened butter, mash it all up and serve it with big steamed artichokes. Or drizzle the garlic confit butter (or without butter) mashup over broccoli, asparagus, or whatever veggie strikes your fancy. I used the confited garlic and some of the oil in a batch of blue cheese dressing recently - heavenly. And it was fabulous in my latest rendition of Kale Salad (with apple and pomegranate).


Garlic Confit

1 large or 2 small heads of garlic
About 2 tablespoons of white wine, stock, or water (I'm going to try an agrodolce vinegar)
Salt, if desired
Herbs, if desired
Extra virgin olive oil as needed

Separate the cloves of garlic and peel them, cutting off the tough root ends.


The easiest way to peel a large quantity of garlic is to first let it sit in water to soften the skins. Some varieties are easier to peel than others so try peeling a clove after about 20 minutes. Artichoke types have very thin skins that adhere tightly to the cloves and seem to be the most difficult to peel, I usually let them soak for about an hour or more.


Place the peeled cloves of garlic in a small saucepan and add the wine or other liquid. Season with salt. Add a bay leaf or a sprig of thyme or rosemary if desired. Pour in extra virgin olive oil to generously cover the garlic.


Simmer the garlic over the lowest heat, use a flame tamer if necessary, for about an hour or until the garlic is soft. It should mash easily, although I have cooked it until tender but not mashable and simply chopped it, it's still delicious.


Let it cool in the oil and then pack it into a clean jar and refrigerate.

3 comments:

  1. Looks really good. When you said confit I immediately wondered about botulism. So this keeps a few days in the fridge but I wonder if it can be frozen?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't see why it couldn't be frozen. It might be easiest to mash it up and freeze it that way, then it will probably be spoonable. I'll have to give it a try.

      Delete
  2. I like the idea of adding an acid to the garlic confit and I'll give that a try. I'm crossing comments with your garden blog reference to this recipe, but I love artichokes with garlic butter!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for your comments!