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Garlic galore!

Poster: Gillaine Hathaway 02/10/2006

GILLAINE HATHAWAY ENHANCES THESE DISHES WITH GARLIC - PART OF THE ALLIUM GENUS, RELATED TO THE ONION, AND BEST KNOWN AS A COOKING INGREDIENT USED FOR ITS WONDERFUL TASTE.

The word "garlic" comes from the Old English "garleac", meaning "spear leek". A native of central Asia, garlic dates back over 6,000 years and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent seasoning in Asia, Africa and the rest of Europe.
Egyptians worshipped garlic and placed clay models of garlic bulbs in the tomb of Tutankhamen. Garlic was so highly prized it was even used as currency. Folklore holds that garlic repelled vampires, protected against the Evil Eye, and warded off jealous nymphs said to terrorise pregnant women and engaged maidens. Garlic also has a long reputation in folk medicine and mythology for its health-giving properties. Some of these - such as its antibiotic properties - have been confirmed by modern science; others remain open to question. 
In Spain and other southern European countries garlic is, and has been from earliest times, used as a common ingredient in dishes, unlike in northern European countries where it was better known for its medicinal purposes in the past and is used very sparingly in cooking. 
In fact garlic, olive oil and wine are the three important native ingredients of Andalucian cuisine. It would actually be better to say garlic "tastes" in plural, since it can take on a completely different taste depending on how it's cooked. Raw it is more pungent, and when cooked it becomes sweeter tasting.
Yours truly and the H! editor are avid garlic eaters; in fact we are both of the opinion that the more garlic you eat the less it taints the breath! Over the years we have shared many garlic recipes with one another, and now feel it is time to share some of these with you.
The following soup makes a great starter for a dinner party as it can be prepared in advance and kept in the fridge, and its colour is stunning. Frozen peas are, of course, not an Andalucian classic but are considered in this day and age to be a fine vegetable. They are always sweeter and tender, unlike some fresh peas which can be a disappointment especially after all the time spent shelling and cooking them.

GARLIC AND PEA SOUP
Ingredients (serves 4): 
3 whole heads of garlic
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 packet of frozen peas
50 gr of unsalted butter
100 gr of grated hard Spanish cheese or parmesan cheese
1 litre of chicken or vegetable stock
2 or 3 tablespoons of cream

• Cut the top off the heads of garlic and place in a piece of tin foil. 
• Drizzle the heads with the olive oil. 
• Wrap up well and roast in the oven for approximately one hour.  
• Remove and allow to cool.
• Squeeze the cloves out of their skins into a food processor.  
• Add the frozen peas, butter and cheese.
• Process until creamy, then transfer to a saucepan and heat, stirring in the stock until you have a nice soup consistency. 
• Add the cream, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  Serve immediately with plenty of fresh crusty bread.

* * *

Red mullet (salmonetes) when small are delicious simply dusted with flour and pan-fried. Larger red mullets are great when grilled and served with a garlic and parsley sauce. Your fishmonger will be able to clean and skin them, though of course you can do it yourself. Just make sure when buying the fish that it is fresh: look for bright eyes, and check that the gills are red and it does not smell really fishy.

RED MULLET WITH GARLIC
Ingredients (serves 4):  
11/2 kg or 4 large red mullets
8 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of sea salt
generous grind of black pepper
8 to 10 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
juice of 1 lemon

• Preheat the grill. 
• Wash the fish and dry well with kitchen paper.  
• Brush with a little of the olive oil and season with the salt and pepper. 
• Place the fish under the grill and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side.
• While the fish is grilling, heat the rest of the olive oil in a frying pan and cook the garlic slices until lightly browned.
• When the fish is ready, add the lemon juice and chopped parsley to the garlic and oil and then pour over the grilled fish.
• Serve immediately just as they are, with fresh crusty bread.

* * *

Garlic lovers unite with this succulent main dish of chicken!

ROAST CHICKEN WITH GARLIC
Ingredients (serves 4):
40 fat garlic cloves (about 4 bulbs) peeled
1 free range chicken approximately 11/2 kg
60 gr of unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1 lemon cut into wedges
juice of 1 lemon.
salt and pepper

• Preheat the oven to 190ºC, or 170º for a fan oven.
• Place six cloves of garlic, the cut lemon and 30 grams of the butter inside the chicken cavity.
• Place the chicken in a roasting dish and rub the rest of the butter over the chicken.
• Season with salt and pepper, pour over the lemon juice and then secure the legs with string.
• Roast the chicken for 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and scatter the remaining garlic cloves around the chicken and baste well with the juices in the pan.
• Return to the oven and roast for a further 30 to 40 minutes until the chicken is golden and the thigh juices run clear when pricked with a skewer.
• Remove and put the chicken on a serving dish, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for approximately 20 minutes.
• Just before serving place the roasting dish over a moderate heat and reheat the garlic cloves and sauce.
• Pour over the rested chicken and carve.
• Serve the chicken with spoonfuls of the garlic cloves and the pan juices, accompanied by seasonal vegetables.

If you feel that peeling all those heads of garlic is a bit too much effort, you can leave them with the skins on. The flavour will still be there in the sauce and all you have to do when eating the dish is to get messy, by squeezing out the soft flesh with your fingers and discarding the skin.

* * *

No, I am not going to give you a recipe for a garlic desert! Instead the following dish makes a delicious snack, especially if you come in after a hard day's work and want a quick and easy meal. 

GARLIC EGGS
Ingredients: 
2 eggs per person
12 cloves of garlic per person
4 tablespoons of olive oil

• Smash the garlic cloves lightly with a knife, as this makes removing the skins so much easier, and chop. 
• Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the chopped cloves until lightly golden.  
• Carefully add the egg into the centre of the pan and gently spoon over the garlic. 
• Fry the egg until nicely set and serve immediately, accompanied by crusty fresh bread and salt and pepper to taste.

This dish also makes a great first course but use one egg and six cloves of garlic per person. Fry all the chopped heads of garlic first and, when golden, remove from the oil into a strainer. When ready to eat, return the oil to the pan and fry each egg with a portion of the garlic and serve immediately as each egg is prepared.

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