It might seem like madness to use around 65 cloves of garlic in just three recipes. But with this particular allium, it’s all about the way it’s cooked, rather than the number of cloves you use.
The harsh and sometimes metallic note that can linger when using raw garlic is a result of the sulphurous compounds in each clove. The more a clove is crushed and minced, the more the cell membranes are broken up, and the more those compounds are activated and released. When you only gently crush the cloves, or roast them whole, however, no such activation takes place. The effect of slow-roasting instead breaks down the chains of fructose sugars in each clove, producing something markedly sweet, decidedly mellow and not at all mad.
Garlicky summer broth
Use as many fresh young summer vegetables as you can here: baby courgettes, runner beans, French beans, broccolini, spring onions, peas, baby carrots, asparagus, gem lettuce – anything that grabs your eye and tastebuds. Cooking times will vary from a few minutes to a few seconds (baby carrots and courgettes take about two minutes to blanch, beans, peas and broccolini a minute or two, while lettuce and spring onion need just a dip in the boiling water). Leave the veg whole if they are small, cut them in half lengthways or, in the case of lettuce, into wedges. If you’re not vegetarian, you can add an anchovy fillet or two to the salsa and use chicken stock instead of vegetable, while feta, mature pecorino or soft goat’s cheese in the herb paste will add character and depth. Serves six.
2 tbsp olive oil
20 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed with the flat of a knife
200ml Pernod
2 litres vegetable stock
1 dried Iranian lime, pierced 2-3 times (optional)
1 tsp black peppercorns
Salt
10g thyme sprigs
8 sage leaves
20g parsley sprigs
15g tarragon sprigs
1kg assorted mixed baby vegetables
For the herb paste
1 whole head garlic
30g parsley leaves, roughly chopped
15g tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
Zest from 1 lemon
3 tbsp olive oil
Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6. Start with the broth. Put a large saucepan on a high heat and add the oil. Once hot, add the garlic and fry for a minute or two, stirring constantly, until golden brown. Add the Pernod, leave to bubble for two minutes, until reduced by half, then add the stock, dried lime (if using), peppercorns and a teaspoon of salt. Tie the herbs together with string and add to the pot, bring to a boil, turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 40 minutes, until about a litre of liquid remains. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Meanwhile, make the herb paste. Cut 1cm off the top of the head of garlic, exposing the cloves, then wrap in foil. Roast for an hour, until the flesh is very soft and caramelised, remove from the oven, leave to cool for 10 minutes, then squeeze out the cloves into a food processor. Add the remaining paste ingredients and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, blitz smooth and set aside.
While the broth is cooking, also blanch your vegetables in salted water until just tender (see introduction for timings) and refresh under cold water.
When you’re ready to serve, strain the stock though a fine sieve, to remove the aromatics, then return to the pot. Bring to a boil, add the blanched veg, return to a boil, then take off the heat. Divide the stock and vegetables between six shallow bowls, top each with a spoonful of herb paste and serve.
Baked rice with confit tomatoes and garlic
The fruity flavour of the ancho chillies works really well here, so try to seek them out: they are available in most large supermarkets. You can use larger beets and shallots instead of baby ones (just cut them into smaller pieces), though the dish does look better with whole baby veg. Serves eight as a side or six as a main.
2-3 dried ancho chillies
650g cherry tomatoes
25 garlic cloves, peeled
10 baby shallots, peeled and trimmed (250g net weight)
25g bunch coriander, tied with string
10g bunch thyme, tied with string
100ml olive oil
15 baby beetroots, unpeeled, scrubbed clean and trimmed (450g)
350g basmati rice
Salt and black pepper
Heat the oven to 160C/320F/gas mark 2½. Put the ancho chillies in a medium bowl, pour over 100ml of boiling water and leave to soak for 10 minutes. Strain over a bowl, to catch the liquid, then tear the chillies into 2-3cm strips (you don’t need to discard the seeds, because anchos are not particularly hot).
Arrange the tomatoes, garlic, shallots and herbs in a large, high-sided casserole dish (about 23cm x 32cm). Pour over the oil, then scatter over a half-teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Add the strips of ancho chilli to the dish, pour over their reserved soaking liquor and roast for an hour, until the vegetables are soft, dark and caramelised.
While the vegetables are cooking, fill a medium saucepan with plenty of water and bring to a boil. Add the beetroot and leave to bubble for 15-20 minutes, until cooked through. Drain and, once cool enough to handle, peel off and discard the skins, then set aside.
Remove the confit vegetables from the oven. Lift out and discard the herbs and dot the beetroot around and about, taking care not to mix them together so the colour doesn’t leech. Sprinkle the rice evenly over the top and set aside.
Turn up the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Fill a small saucepan with 800ml of water, and add three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Bring to a boil, then pour evenly over the rice. Seal the tray tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes, until the rice is cooked. Remove from the oven, set aside, covered, for 10 minutes to settle and rest, then serve hot.
Charred mixed peppers with roasted garlic sauce
Peppers range hugely in variety, shape, size, colour and heat. Get as wide a range as you can of whatever you like (whenever I see them, I always get some of the long, light green Turkish peppers, for example, because they char really well): just keep to the total weight of peppers in the ingredients list. Serves four.
170g jalapeño peppers (about 10)
800g romano peppers (about 8, a mix of yellow, red and orange, if possible)
90g Padrón peppers (about 8)
60ml olive oil
10g coriander leaves, roughly chopped, plus 5g extra to serve
10g mint leaves, roughly chopped
Salt
For the roast garlic and yoghurt sauce
1 whole head garlic, plus one extra garlic clove, peeled and crushed
300g Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and white pepper
Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6. Start with the garlic for the sauce. Cut 1cm off the top of the head of garlic, exposing the cloves, then wrap in foil. Roast for an hour, until the cloves are soft and caramelised. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Place all the peppers in a large bowl with two tablespoons of olive oil and a teaspoon of salt. Mix and set aside. Put a ridged griddle pan on a high heat and, when hot, add the peppers, and cook in batches, turning so that they char lightly on all sides – this should take about two minutes for the smaller peppers and up to six for the romanos. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking tray and roast for 10 minutes, until soft. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Put the coriander and mint in a mortar with the remaining oil and eighth of a teaspoon of salt. Pound to a thick paste and set aside.
Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins into a medium bowl. Whisk with a tablespoon of yoghurt and, once smooth, add the rest of the yoghurt, the oil, fresh garlic, lemon juice, a third of a teaspoon of salt and a pinch of white pepper.
Put the peppers on a serving plate and spoon over about half the garlic sauce – you don’t want to cover the peppers completely, so serve the remaining sauce in a bowl on the side. Drizzle over the coriander paste, followed by a sprinkle of fresh coriander, and serve.
