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Cooking with garlic & herbs
THE ultimate flavours to grow - garlic and herbs, especially parsley, chives and rocket - are very easy. It's difficult to start a savoury dish without a Tuscan odori once you know how to make one. What do you do when you have a glut? Treat yourself by making sauces and dips.
Rocket pesto recipe No. 2
600g wild rocket
150g ground almonds
Extra virgin olive oil
4-6 cloves garlic, chopped
220g Parmesan
Blend the rocket, garlic, ground almonds and grated Parmesan in a blender.
While blending, dribble the olive oil in until the desired consistency is reached. Store in a sterilised jar in the fridge.
Simple chive butter for garlic bread or potatoes
CHIVES are often used in butters and this one is wonderful to make garlic bread with, or used on new potatoes.
8oz (200g) butter, softened
2 small cloves garlic, minced, or more to taste
3 tbsp chopped chives
Cream ingredients together in a bowl, cover and store in refrigerator for three hours before use. Will keep in fridge for several days.
It freezes too, but split it up into manageable portions first.
Rocket pesto recipe No. 1
100g (3.5 oz) wild rocket (you can use normal)
60g pine kernels
2 cloves of garlic
60g Parmesan
125ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Place all the dry ingredients in a food processor, and blitz.
With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil until a smooth, creamy texture is reached.
Tuscan odori: base of 1,000 dishes
CAN'T cook? Start savoury dishes with odori. It's a Tuscan staple of onion, carrot, parsley, garlic and celery, which forms the basis of sauces, stews and soups in that part of Italy.
The flavours blend perfectly to enhance whatever you choose to put in your pot next.
1 onion (or equivalent weight of spring onions)
1 medium carrot
1 stick of celery
1 handful of flat-leaved parsley
1-3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Finely chop the carrot, celery, parsley and onion, crush the garlic.
Fry all ingredients with the oil in a pan over a medium heat until soft.
After this, add your meat to brown, then any tomatoes and other seasonings. Cook slowly over a very low heat until your sauce is concentrated and thick.
WHOLE garlic bulbs will keep for several months at cool room temperature in a dry, dark place with good air circulation. A wire-mesh basket or beneath a overturned clay pot is ideal, as is keeping bulbs in a paper bag, egg carton, or mesh bag. Don't refrigerate or store in plastic.
If you have bulbs left in the new year, and they're starting to sprout, peel the cloves, toss them whole in a roasting tin in plenty of olive oil.
Roast in a medium oven for 15-20 minutes, or until they lose their firmness.
Let them cool, lift out with a slotted spoon and place on a baking tray and freeze, then store in a freezer bag.
This should keep you going until the next crop, and it's especially useful for hardnecks.
Storing, roasting & freezing a garlic glut
Smoked feta, roasted courgette & garlic dip
6 medium courgettes
2-3oz (50-75g) smoked feta cheese (or plain)
Sea salt and black pepper
Juice half lemon (or equivalent bottled)
Tablespoon or two of extra-virgin olive oil
1-2 cloves of garlic, depending on your taste
Fresh parsley to garnish
Put courgettes in non-stick bowl and roast them in the oven on a medium heat until tender (about 40 minutes).
Let them cool overnight in the fridge, then combine with feta, lemon, seasoning and oil in food processor.
Check seasoning and add one clove of garlic at a time (don’t overdo it. I did - it ruined a nice dip). Pour into a bowl, and garnish with fresh parsley.
Rocket pesto recipe No. 4
60g wild rocket
2tbsp toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup chopped chives
Juice of 1 lemon, plus wedges to serve
100ml extra virgin olive oil
Place rocket, pine nuts, chives and lemon juice in a small food processor and whiz to combine. With the motor running, add the oil in a slow, steady stream until you get a coarse pesto. Season to taste.
Rocket pesto recipe No. 3
2 large bunches of rocket, minus stems
65g toasted pine nuts
zest of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, peeled
4tbsp olive oil
2-4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
50g+ grated Parmesan, (add to taste)
Sea salt and black pepper
Toast the pine nuts in a hot dry pan.
Put all of the pesto ingredients into a food processor. Blitz until blended and thick.
Taste and adjust the seasoning, and add Parmesan and balsamic vinegar.
Aubergine & garlic dip
1 aubergine
3 cloves garlic
Handful of fresh flat-leaved parsley
2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon harissa paste (optional)
Few drops extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Few drops lemon juice
Cut aubergine in half and steam it in its skin until soft.
Put the cooked aubergine (with skin), the parsley, and remaining ingredients into a blender and blitz until a smooth paste. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.
Works well with breadsticks or Parmesan cheese thins, or as a base for a pasta sauce. Adding chopped sun-dried tomatoes is a nice alternative.
Gremolata: classic sauce for meat or pasta
GREMOLATA, the traditional accompaniment to Milanese Osso Bucco, is classically made from lemon zest, garlic, and parsley. Here are two of many regional variations:
Classic Gremolata
2 tbsp minced flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp freshly grated lemon zest
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
Mix ingredients together in a small bowl with a fork and serve.
Gremolata with anchovies
Large bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
4 anchovies, crushed into a paste
Tablespoon lemon juice
Olive oil, to bind together
2 oz (or more if you like) Parmesan or other Italian hard cheese, grated
Combine all the prepared ingredients and chill until needed.