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Garlic: how to control this strong ingredient
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Ok, so the recipe says: Chop garlic clove(s) and add to butter/oil on a medium (to high) heat. But when you did this, you somehow wound up with burnt little crunchy pieces that were bitterly flavorful, but by then had little resemblance to anything 'garlic'.
What no one wants to tell us Americans is that, for hundreds of years, many clever culinary moves have been invented that allow anyone using garlic (Allium Sativum L.) to master this ingredient rather quickly. Yes, you too can incorporate garlic and all of its healthy properties into your diet with a few easy tricks.
A friend pointed out long ago that garlic, too often, fails to be a controlled flavor. As I thought about this (I was in my 20s), I reminisced about my own shortcomings/mistakes that altered many-a-dish’s resultant flavors. What I came up with was a full-proof method for making (often expensive) infused garlic oil and a method for adding real garlic (not powder) to almost any recipe in a tempered way.
This works for any amount of garlic.
Take your cloves out of their natural paper and put them in a small dish with at least one-inch sides. You can cut the garlic into any sized pieces, or just leave it whole…think of what your recipe calls for. Don’t overfill the small dish; you will need to add enough oil/butter to cover your garlic, and once it all starts to heat, it may bubble over if the dish has too much total volume in it.
Now, just put this in the microwave and cook 20 seconds for the first shot, and then 10 seconds at a time there after. Do this at least four times to force the Allicin (what makes garlic so strong) into the oil. Keep going…doing more 10-second spurts will cause your concoction to bubble, but never burn. As it cooks more and more, depending your taste, you can then apply it at will… either during cooking, as a finishing agent, or both. Dispense the chopped pieces or just drizzle the intensely infused oil…you choose. And this stuff doesn’t need refrigeration, so you can leave it on the table with a small spoon and allow your guests to apply as much as desired.
Grilled and fried meats, as well as roasted vegetables, really explode with a fully cooked version, while marinades and sauces take creative applications of par-cooked garlic and reflect milder results than when raw garlic is used the same way.
Then, as your garlic/oil dwindle, just keep adding oil to the remaining garlic to stretch (and dilute) your efforts. But, hey, once the garlic bits are gone, you’ll have to start over. This crazy method can be applied to/with chives, shallots, peppers, lemon peel…oil infusions take many forms, so be creative. Enjoy…you now have control of this powerful, often intimidating ingredient.
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