Volume 12, Issue 014 - January 18, 2007

Greetings Friend,

Today's recipes contain a lot of garlic, but you will notice that they call for whole cloves, not chopped or minced. Because the cloves are not cut or processed, they will lend a much milder flavor than if you chopped or minced them. Don't be afraid. Try them!

More Garlic Tips and Facts:.

• Garlic is very low in calories—about one or two calories per clove. It's an excellent substitution for salt in low-sodium diets.
   

• To get garlic odor off your hands, rub them with lemon or lime juice, then put salt in your hands and rub vigorously. This also works for getting stains and old coffee flavors out of a glass pot.
   

• Garlic Breath?…The best method for controlling this dilemma is still good old-fashioned fresh parsley. Chew three or four sprigs and you are on your way to fresher breath. Sucking on a lemon wedge may help, if you're brave enough.
   

• Everyone knows that cleaning a garlic press can be tiresome and most chefs won't even use one because of this fact. Try pressing the cloves through your garlic press unpeeled. You will get a finer profile, but just reach in and pull out the husk and see if that doesn't change your mind about the garlic press.

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Forty Clove Dutch Oven Brisket

Whole cooked garlic is far milder than processed garlic when cooked. The more you process garlic, the stronger the garlic flavor. Just to prove that point, try this recipe using forty cloves of garlic for one little 'ol chicken instead of brisket!

Ingredients:

1 (5 to 6 pounds) beef brisket, rinsed and patted dry
kosher salt and freshly-ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
40 large cloves garlic, peeled
1 large sweet onion, thick sliced and separated into rings
1/4 cup red wine
2 1/2 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried basil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Season brisket liberally on both sides with kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper.

Heat a large Dutch oven with a lid over medium-high heat on your stove top. Add olive oil to coat the bottom to the oven. Sear both sides of brisket  fat-side down first, until golden brown. Remove to a sheet pan.

Add garlic cloves and onion rings to the remaining oil in the pan. Cook and stir until garlic begins to turn golden and sweet onions are limp and lightly colored.

Add red wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add beef stock, tomato paste, bay leaves and basil. Bring back to a simmer, then turn off heat. Move garlic and onions to the side and return brisket to the Dutch oven or skillet. Spoon garlic and onions over the top of the brisket, cover tightly, and place in the oven.

Bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees F. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake an additional 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until brisket is fork-tender. Remove brisket to a platter and cover with foil to rest for 10 minutes.

Remove half of of garlic cloves and most of onions to a bowl. Skim off excess oil from the pan gravy and discard. Blend pan gravy and remaining garlic until smooth in a food processor. You can add a little roux or cornstarch slurry to thicken gravy, by bringing it back to the stove and returning to a boil. Return reserved whole garlic cloves and onions to the gravy.

Slice brisket diagonally across the grain. Serve with pan gravy.

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Garlic Parties?

Where else can one feast on food laced with over two tons of fresh garlic, enjoy three stages of musical entertainment, shop in arts and crafts, view the great garlic cook-off and other celebrity cooking demonstrations, spend time in the children's area, visit interactive displays set up by many of our sponsors, soak up some glorious sunshine and mingle with a fun bunch of garlic-loving people? (Whew!)

The GILROY GARLIC FESTIVAL in Gilroy, California!

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Forty Roasted Clove Scalloped Potatoes with Mushrooms

Ingredients:

4 whole garlic heads
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups minced shallots
1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
2 1/2 cups light cream
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds russet potatoes, thinly sliced
cooking spray
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Remove white papery skins from garlic heads (do not peel or separate cloves). Place the heads on a sheet pan, covered with foil and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes; cool 10 minutes. Separate cloves; squeeze to extract garlic pulp (you should have about 1/4 cup). Discard skins.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots; sauté 3 minutes or until softened. Add mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar; cook 1 minute or until liquid almost evaporates. Remove from heat.

Place cream, garlic pulp, flour, thyme, salt, and pepper in a food processor; process until smooth.

Arrange one-third of potatoes in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread half of the shallot/mushroom mixture over potatoes. Repeat procedure with remaining potato slices and shallot mixture, ending with potato slices. Pour cream mixture evenly over potatoes.

Cover the baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake, uncovered, 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese; bake 15 minutes or until cheese is golden. Test for doneness by sticking a fork into the casserole. The fork should sink through easily. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.