Govind Amstrongs Roasted Garlic Recipes

HOW TO ROAST GARLIC

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400F.
• Cut the top 1/2 inch from garlic bulb (straight across the top so you cut into just the tops of the cloves). Place garlic bulb in a ramekin, drizzle with olive oil and cover with foil.
• Roast for 30-40 minutes or until garlic is very soft and lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
• Squeeze the garlic out of its skin and into a small dish. Mash with a fork and use as desired.

GOVIND AMSTRONG'S ROASTED GARLIC

Steps:

• Place garlic in a small skillet and add enough oil to cover. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and continue cooking until golden and soft, about 15 minutes total.

GRILLED CHEESE WITH PULLED SHORT RIBS AND PICKLED RED ONIONS

Steps:

• For the sachet:
• For the sachet, wrap the parsley, thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns in a small amount of cheesecloth and tie with butcher's twine.
• For pulled short ribs:
• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Beginning with a large saucepan or braising pan with a lid, heat the tablespoon of grapeseed oil over medium-high heat. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Sear the short ribs on either side until caramelized and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the meat from the pan. Add the carrot and celery to the pan and cook for 5 minutes over the same heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook together until caramelized, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally as needed. Add the short ribs back to the pan and deglaze with the red wine. Add the sachet and, stirring from time to time, allow the wine to reduce until almost evaporated, about 6 minutes. Pour in the beef broth and bring the braise up to a boil. Put the lid on and place in the oven for 2 hours. Stir occasionally.
• After the first 2 hours of cooking time, remove the lid. For the next hour, baste the short ribs every 15 minutes, leaving the lid off. Cook for an additional hour, until very tender, for a total of 4 hours cooking time.
• Pull the short ribs from the oven and allow them to cool in the braising juices for at least a few hours. Carefully transfer the meat to a plate and strain the juices through a fine sieve, then allow the fat to rise. Remove the fat. Using a dinner fork in each hand, lightly shred the meat along the natural grains in a pulling motion from the center outward, and set aside.
• To prepare each sandwich, begin by preheating the oven to 350°F.
• Take 2 slices of bread. On the bottom slice, place a layer of cheese (you'll want approximately 1 1/2 ounces for each sandwich, just enough to cover the bread to the edges), then top with 1 teaspoon of pickled red onion, spread to the sides. Place 1/4 cup of the pulled short ribs on top, add another layer of cheese, and top with the second slice of bread. Brush each completed sandwich on top and bottom with 1/2 teaspoon butter.
• In a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat, add 1 teaspoon of the grapeseed oil and allow it to get nice and hot. Place 2 sandwiches in at a time and flip so they will absorb the oil on both sides. Weight them down with a small sauté pan. After 1 minute, flip the sandwiches, return the weight, and place directly in the oven.
• After 2 minutes, remove the weight. Flip the sandwich one final time, and cook for 1 final minute. Pull from the oven, slice diagonally, and serve immediately. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches.

GRILLED CHEESE WITH PULLED SHORT RIBS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large ovenproof saucepan with a lid over medium-high heat. Season short ribs with salt and pepper and add to pan. Sear ribs on both sides until caramelized, about 5 minutes. Remove ribs from pan; set aside.
• Add carrot and celery to pan and cook 5 minutes. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until caramelized, about 5 minutes more. Return short ribs to the pan and add wine and sachet. Cook until the wine is almost evaporated, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes.
• Add the beef broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and transfer saucepan to oven; cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours.
• Uncover and continue cooking the short ribs for 1 hour, basting ribs every 15 minutes with the cooking liquid. Cook 1 hour more, for a total of 4 hours cooking time.
• Remove short ribs from oven and let cool in their liquid, 30 minutes. Transfer ribs to a plate, and with two forks, slightly shred following the natural grain of the meat; set aside.
• Raise oven temperature to 350 degrees.
• Top 8 slices of bread with about 1 1/2 ounces of cheese each. Add 1 teaspoon of pickled onion. Top with 1/4 cup pulled short ribs and a second layer of cheese. Top with remaining slices of bread to form 8 sandwiches. Brush both sides of each sandwich with 1/2 teaspoon butter.
• In a cast-iron skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add sandwiches to skillet, and immediately turn so that all the oil is absorbed. Weight down sandwiches with a small ovenproof skillet; cook for 1 minute. Turn sandwiches, return weight, and transfer to oven. Cook 2 minutes, remove weight, turn sandwich, and continue cooking 1 minute. Remove from oven, and slice sandwich on the diagonal. Repeat process with remaining sandwiches.

GOVIND ARMSTRONG'S ROASTED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Prepare an ice-water bath. Add tomatoes to boiling water and cook 30 seconds. Drain and immediately transfer to ice-water bath until cool; drain.
• Cut a 1/4-inch piece from the bottom of a tomato so that it will stand upright. Starting at the top of the tomato, cut 4 petal-shaped fillets using a downward motion with a paring knife to remove the flesh from the seeded core; discard core. Repeat process with remaining tomatoes.
• In a large bowl, toss the tomato petals together with the oil, thyme, and basil; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a nonstick baking sheet; roast until caramelized, about 45 minutes. Serve hot or cold. Store in a covered container, refrigerated, up to 1 week, if desired.

SANTA BARBARA SPOT PRAWNS IN PERNOD

Steps:

• Heat a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and at the first sight of smoke, carefully add the prawns. Sear the prawns on one side for 30 seconds. Turn the prawns, add the smashed garlic cloves, and sauté until golden. With no fear, add the Pernod and flame off all the alcohol; this will happen very quickly. Add the fish stock and reduce to half, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and lemon zest, and turn off the heat. Swirl the pan until all the butter is incorporated into a sauce.
• Finish the sauce with a squeeze of the lemon, a few flecks of crushed red chili, and sea salt and pepper. Toss in the tomatoes at the last moment, and garnish with a few chopped fennel fronds, if using. Serve immediately.