“Garlic is divine. Few food items can taste so many distinct ways, handled correctly. Misuse of garlic is a crime…Please, treat your garlic with respect…Avoid at all costs that vile spew you see rotting in oil in screwtop jars. Too lazy to peel fresh? You don’t deserve to eat garlic.” ― Anthony Bourdain, ‘Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly’
I am partial to a good condiment.
condiment
noun
a substance such as salt, mustard, or pickle that is used to add flavour to food.
In my AIP condiment repertoire are several variations on green sauce.
I’m a particular devotee of a really good green sauce. There’s my How to Make a Green Sauce post. Then there’s the BEST ‘Knock Their Socks Off’ Salsa Verde (which is an AIP reintro’ green sauce number because it contains mustard and black pepper). And then, as we get closer to the central character in today’s kitchen adventure, there’s the AMAZING Anchovy and Roasted Garlic Green Sauce.
Because, along with being a lover of green sauce, I’m also a lover of all things garlic.
It’s garlic season here in Sydney
Garlic loves the summer and, as a result, we have had the lovely garlic peeps from Morganics Farm at the markets of late. Taking advantage of the lovely organic garlic on offer, along with a need to replenish our olive oil stocks from the gorgeous lady (who’s name I don’t know) at the Pukara Estate stand, meant that whipping up a little confit of garlic was a no-brainer.
And, since we’re having such a happy growth of rosemary on our patio, I decided to throw a sprig or two in for a little ‘rosemary infusion’.
I have no regrets – rosemary is one of my all-time favourite herbs.
If you’re a garlic enthusiast and you’ve never tried garlic confit before, well – let’s just say you don’t know what you’ve been missing. Slow cooking garlic cloves in olive oil (or other healthy fat of your choice) produces the most creamy, melt-in-your mouth garlicky magic ever. Your taste buds will thank you. Promise!
It’s also amazingly simple. The most challenging aspect of the entire recipe is having the patience to peel the cloves of lovely garlic.
But so worth it for the end result!
- 3 large heads of organic garlic (35 cloves/approx. 250g when peeled)
- 1¼ - 1½ cups extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large sprigs rosemary
- Break up and peel the cloves from your garlic heads. Pop into a small pot.
- If needed, cut your rosemary sprigs in half and place on top of the garlic.
- Cover the cloves with olive oil.
- On a medium heat, bring the oil to a simmer and then immediately lower the heat to low (I use a simmer mat) so that the garlic is slowly poached in the olive oil. Allow the magic to happen until the garlic is still whole, but soft and tender - about 45 minutes.
- Using a clean slotted spoon, transfer the garlic into a clean glass jar. Pour the oil over the top, pop on a lid and refrigerate (after you've had a taste or two - be careful, its hot!)
Will keep refrigerated for 2 - 3 weeks (if it lasts that long!)
What to do with my garlic confit?
Now that you’ve whipped up this gorgeous garlic ambrosia, what to do with it?
Here’s what I’m thinking…
- We ate ours with 2 or 3 cloves and a drizzle of the infused oil stirred into cauliflower mash with fresh parsley. It would go equally well with any sort of mash.
- I’m thinking it would be just the ticket schmeared under the skin of a chook (or two) before it goes into the oven for roasting.
- Of course, you could substitute the confit for the roasted garlic in this green sauce recipe, too
- Tossed through roasted or steamed veggies would add another dimension to simply prepared side dishes
- That beautiful rosemary-infused oil would be the perfect salad dressing base, especially if you added a couple of mashed cloves and a splash of apple cider vinegar and salt
E N J O Y !
This recipe features in the Phoenix Helix Recipe Rountable.
Yummmmmm. Though I have to disagree with Anthony Bourdain – for people who love garlic and can’t get it fresh those little screw top jars are better than nothing. I speak from personal experience many years ago and having only a packet of pasta, some olive oil and garlic in the jar in the cupboard of a self catering cottage out in the sticks on a public holiday weekend! At the time it was devine. Now, with AIP and no pasta, I sadly haven’t ventured away from home so far either. That will change this Easter when I go to visit my sister on the sunshine coast – I’ll have to find a good supplier of home delivered organic veg for the day before we arrive an d pack some condiments in my luggage! This sounds heavenly Jo!
Have a wonderful time with your sister, Melanie. And enjoy your garlic confit!
YUM! This is a recipe so simple, even I think I could create it – yet so beautiful (and no doubt delicious) that it’s restaurant quality. That’s what I call #winwin
I DARE you, PI!!!
I’m in a bit of a rut these days with my ground beef fry-ups & guacamole with broccoli on the side. I think that this would transform both!
To be honest, lovely Petra – I’m starting to think that garlic confit transforms MANY dishes. So good!