Blanched Garlic Paste Recipes

GARLIC PASTE

Steps:

• Place the garlic head on a cutting board, root side up. Smash it hard, then loosen and separate the cloves.
• Cut the root tip and and peel the cloves. Skip this step if using store-ready peeled garlic cloves.
• Add garlic cloves and olive oil to the blender jar and blend for 30-45 seconds to make a smooth paste. Scrape down the sides of the blender jar once in between.
• Store in airtight containers or mason jars and refrigerate for up to a week. Alternatively, add to ice cube trays, cover and freeze for up to 3 months.

ROASTED GARLIC PASTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Cut off the top 1/3 of the garlic heads. Place the garlic heads (cut side up) in a small baking dish. Pour the olive oil over the garlic. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
• Cover the dish with a lid or aluminum foil and bake for about 45 minutes. Remove lid or foil and bake for another 15 minutes. Cloves will begin to brown. Remove dish from oven and let cool until you can handle the garlic with your hands.
• Into a medium bowl, squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins. Using a strainer, add the oil from the baking dish to the garlic. Use a food processor or mash together with a fork until the paste has a smooth consistency.
• Cover tightly and refrigerate. Will last about one week in the fridge.

PIADINE WITH CAESAR SALAD AND ROASTED GARLIC PASTE

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to high.
• Put the lettuce in a bowl. Pour the dressing over and toss well.
• Divide the dough into 4 equal balls. On a floured board, stretch and roll the dough into thin discs with a rolling pin. The dough may also be stretched by hand, but rolling will give you a thinner crust.
• Coat the rolled out dough with olive oil and place, oiled side down, on a very hot grill. This can be done indoors on a cast-iron stovetop grill pan that has been preheated over medium-medium high. When you start to see bubbles on the surface of the dough, turn it over. It should be slightly browned on the bottom. Brush each round with a generous tablespoon of the garlic paste and sprinkle with the thyme. Remove from the grill with tongs and top with the Caesar salad. Grate parmesan cheese on top, fold in half, and eat.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Peel the outermost layers of skin off the heads of garlic. Cut off the top 1/3 of the heads to open the cloves. Save the small pieces of garlic for another use (see Chef's Note). Put the heads, cut sides up, in a small baking dish and pour the olive oil over them. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cover tightly, place in the oven, and roast until about 3/4 cooked, about 45 minutes. Uncover and return to the oven until the cloves begin to pop out of their skins and brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool.
• When cool enough to handle easily, squeeze the roasted garlic into a small bowl. Press against the skins very well to get out all the sweet roasted garlic you can. Add the oil from the baking dish and mix well until a paste forms. Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator, for up to 1 week.
• Chef's Note:
• It is hard to have too much roasted garlic around. You can roast the little bits from the tips of the garlic heads. Put them in a separate small baking container, such as an individual custard cup. Season with salt and pepper, douse with olive oil, cover, and place in the oven to bake along with the whole garlic heads. Depending on their size, they will be soft and browned in about 1/2 the time needed for the whole heads. The little pieces make a good "cook's snack" while preparing dinner, or can be squeezed into tomato sauce or onto pasta.

CILANTRO PASTE

Steps:

• Rinse the cilantro well and pat dry. Place the leaves in a food processor with the garlic, coconut milk, peanuts and lime juice.
• Process into a fine puree and season with 1 teaspoon of salt or to taste. Divide into 1/4 cup containers and freeze.
• USES: Use to liven up a Tofu and vegetable salad or to spoon into a plain chicken broth with vermicelli.

FRESH BASIL PASTE

Steps:

• Rinse the basil well and pat dry. In a food processor, puree basil with garlic until coarsely chopped. While the processor is running, slowly drizzle in the oil and process until finely pureed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• USES: Grill or broil some sword fish and each portion with a tablespoonful or so of basil puree. Spoon a tablespoonful or so into each portion of canned vegetable soup.

GARLIC: BLANCHED, POACHED, ROASTED, OR TOASTED

Steps:

• Blanching: Bring a small saucepan of water to a low boil. Separate the cloves from 1 head of garlic, leaving the skins on, and drop into water for 5 minutes. Remove and drain. Store, skin on, in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• Poaching: In a small cast-iron pot, bring 1 cup olive oil to a very low simmer on a grill or in a wood-fired oven and drop peeled cloves from 1 head of garlic in to cook for 10 minutes. Remove, drain, let cool, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Reserve the poaching oil and use as a flavoring or finishing oil.
• Roasting: Garlic is easy to roast and develops much more flavor in a wood-fired environment. Simply cut the top off a whole head of garlic to expose the cloves and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Place in a small clay cooker or cast-iron pot or an aluminum-foil packet and place in the wood-fired oven or on a covered grill to roast until soft to the touch, about 20 minutes. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
• Toasting: Toast the skin-on cloves from 1 head of garlic in a dry skillet over high heat until the skins are slightly browned. You are toasting but not cooking the garlic. Slice or mince the garlic as called for in the recipe. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

WHITE BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Whisk olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, salt, cracked black pepper, and garlic powder together in a bowl until smooth.

BLANCHED GARLIC • HOW TO

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil
• Add unpeeled garlic and boil for 5 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and plunge garlic clove in an ice water bath or scoop it out with a small sieve before rinsing under cold water. Proceed with your recipe