For the Garlicophiles

[Dannyalcatraz]

I use garlic in a lot of my cooking.  Because of this, I frequently get containers of pre-peeled cloves, usually from my local ethnic supermarkets.  There’s something to be said for a jar of garlic cloves bugger than a typical Mayo jar!

 

But sometimes, I find that I’m not using as much as I anticipated, and rather than let it spoil, I do 2 things:

 

1) like a lot of other ingredients, like onions, celery, carrots, parsely, etc., I’ll prep it in different ways- usually sliced or minced- and store it in bags in my freezer.  Not only does this preserve my garlic (and other stuff), it means I only have to clean my kitchen once while doing veggie prep.  That translates into MORE time economy- I can grab a small bag or chop off a chunk from a 1lb+/- chub instead of the whole garlic cleaning fandango.  Using this method of freezing garlic, etc., means that I can come home on a weeknight and have a gumbo started in minutes.

 

2) I also make what is basically a garlic clove confit.  I take a tart or pie pan and fill it with whole cloves (with the woody stem remnant trimmed off).  Over that, I pour a mix of olive oil, salted butter, and white wine or lemon juice, and sprinkle liberally with black pepper, red pepper, parsley, and paprika. This goes into an oven at 300-350degF until you start to see a little browning.  The result is a plate full of soft, sweet & savory cloves that I use to top steaks, pastas and sometimes just smear on toasted bread,

[Threadslayer]

I'm a convert to frozen garlic. I resisted it at first as being a lazy man's shortcut, but for most things the convenience wins the argument and frankly, in things like soups, stews, sauces, gumbo as you mentioned, and even garlic bread I can't tell the difference. There are times however, when I want the textural element of rough chopped garlic. I even like to brown it until it is almost burnt sometimes - which is absolutely contrary to the rules of civilized cooking.

[Dannyalcatraz]

There’s a few recipes I’ve encountered that actually require fresh-cut garlic.  They’re rare, but they’re real.

 

One is a garlic cole slaw from a restaurant that did business here in D/FW for 80+ years before folding*.  They actually put that recipe in the newspaper, and I’ve tried it.  It’s killer- there’s a reason I’d drive across the Metroplex and cross a county line for it, it was THAT good.  
 

And when I made it, I found out they were NOT kidding about using fresh minced garlic.  I tried using jarred minced and powdered garlic, and couldn’t get the smell & flavor right until I broke down and added some fresh.  

 

 

 

* I’ll have to share that one in here.

[KuruPrionz]

10 hours ago, Threadslayer said:

I'm a convert to frozen garlic. I resisted it at first as being a lazy man's shortcut, but for most things the convenience wins the argument and frankly, in things like soups, stews, sauces, gumbo as you mentioned, and even garlic bread I can't tell the difference. There are times however, when I want the textural element of rough chopped garlic. I even like to brown it until it is almost burnt sometimes - which is absolutely contrary to the rules of civilized cooking.

Around here I would call cooking it until it is almost burned "carmelized". 

On the contrary, it is a highly civilzed way to bring out the flavor and it works well with chopped red onions too.

Toss in chopped ginger and habenero and you have the basis for a great pot of food. 

 

A complex symphony of wonderful flavors. 

[Threadslayer]

14 hours ago, Dannyalcatraz said:

 

* I’ll have to share that one in here.

Please do. Another favorite coleslaw additive of mine is horseradish. One of our local barbecue joints uses it and it just explodes with flavor.

[Dannyalcatraz]

Vincent’s Cole Slaw

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/244262/vincents-famous-garlic-coleslaw/

 

Ingredients

Serves 8
1 medium head green cabbage, finely shredded
3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/8 teaspoon white sugar
1/8 teaspoon celery seed

 

Prep
15 m

Ready In
1 h 15 m

 

Place shredded cabbage into a large bowl. 

 

Gather chopped garlic into a mound on a cutting board and pour salt over top. Using the flat side of a chef's knife, smash the garlic and salt together and transfer to a bowl. Whisk grapeseed oil, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, ground paprika, ground white pepper, sugar, and celery seed together with garlic mixture until dressing reaches a uniform consistency.

 

Pour dressing over shredded cabbage and toss to evenly coat. Press coleslaw down into the bowl using the back of a spoon or place another bowl on top. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Stir before serving. 

 

Cook's Notes:

Canola oil or peanut oil can be substituted for grapeseed oil. A sugar substitute like stevia works great.  I have also found that using finely chopped or shredded sweet carrots works well, too.  In fact, I prefer using the carrots because of their crunch and color.

 

You absolutely MUST use fresh garlic for this slaw. I tried using pre-minced garlic from a jar, and my slaw simply didn’t have the right flavor...until I added fresh minced garlic.

 

After having an accident with the salt shaker, I found that in this recipe- as in many others- plain, non-fat Greek yoghurt can be used as a supplement/substitute for [b]some [/b]of the mayonnaise to cut saltiness (and fat).  A couple heaping tablespoons added to my slaw helped me reach the correct flavor and texture while returning my accidentally over salted slaw to the right salinity.

 

Nutrition Facts

 

Per Serving: 182 calories; 16.5 g fat; 8.2 g carbohydrates; 1.8 g protein; 3 mg cholesterol; 434 mg sodium. 
 

I should also point out I almost never make this recipe in its original portion size.  I usually scale things up between 50-300% because I’m serving it at a gathering and it goes surprisingly fast.  

[Threadslayer]

Sounds killer. I'll have to try it. Just as I was about to ask "Where's the shredded carrot?", I saw your note about adding it

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

If I’m in a hurry and using pre-shredded slaw mix for this, I always make sure I get some extra shredded carrot.

[Dave Bryce]

On 5/16/2022 at 12:21 AM, Dannyalcatraz said:

I I’ll prep it in different ways- usually sliced or minced- and store it in bags in my freezer.  Not only does this preserve my garlic (and other stuff), it means I only have to clean my kitchen once while doing veggie prep.  That translates into MORE time economy- I can grab a small bag or chop off a chunk from a 1lb+/- chub instead of the whole garlic cleaning fandango.  Using this method of freezing garlic, etc., means that I can come home on a weeknight and have a gumbo started in minutes.

 

My wife does this as well.  Stackable sheets, easy to break off what you need.  Love it.

 

dB

[Dannyalcatraz]

 

[Steve Force]

On 5/16/2022 at 3:21 AM, Dannyalcatraz said:

I use garlic in a lot of my cooking.  Because of this, I frequently get containers of pre-peeled cloves, usually from my local ethnic supermarkets.  There’s something to be said for a jar of garlic cloves bugger than a typical Mayo jar!

 

But sometimes, I find that I’m not using as much as I anticipated, and rather than let it spoil, I do 2 things:

 

1) like a lot of other ingredients, like onions, celery, carrots, parsely, etc., I’ll prep it in different ways- usually sliced or minced- and store it in bags in my freezer.  Not only does this preserve my garlic (and other stuff), it means I only have to clean my kitchen once while doing veggie prep.  That translates into MORE time economy- I can grab a small bag or chop off a chunk from a 1lb+/- chub instead of the whole garlic cleaning fandango.  Using this method of freezing garlic, etc., means that I can come home on a weeknight and have a gumbo started in minutes.

 

2) I also make what is basically a garlic clove confit.  I take a tart or pie pan and fill it with whole cloves (with the woody stem remnant trimmed off).  Over that, I pour a mix of olive oil, salted butter, and white wine or lemon juice, and sprinkle liberally with black pepper, red pepper, parsley, and paprika. This goes into an oven at 300-350degF until you start to see a little browning.  The result is a plate full of soft, sweet & savory cloves that I use to top steaks, pastas and sometimes just smear on toasted bread,

Great and highly practical tips! Thanks.