New in the Kitchen » garlic

Grilled Veggie Pasta

newinthekitchen — Mon, 31 May 2010 14:33:16 +0000

This is one of my dad’s wonderful original recipes! This recipe is easy and delicious. Always remember to pick out the freshest veggies at the store when choosing what to put in this dish. If you can pick them directly from you own garden, that’s even better.

Use any vegetables you like, but consider the following:
All colors of bell peppers
Anaheim chilies
Japanese eggplant
Zucchini squash
Tomatoes
Bermuda onion
Mushrooms

Directions:
1. Grill the vegetables on your bbq or on a stovetop griddle pan.

2. When done, cut them up into bite size pieces.

3. Cook up some bow tie pasta, (about ¼ lb. /person) al dente.

4. In a sauce pan, heat up about 1 cup (for 4 people) of good quality olive oil. Add in 4 finely chopped garlic cloves.

5. Mix the vegetables with the pasta and add the garlic infused olive oil and add salt and chili flakes to taste. Be careful with the chili flakes if you are adding any bbqed chili peppers to the dish.

6. Add grated Parmesan cheese to taste.

Serve, and enjoy the praise of your friends and loved ones as they call you a genius at cooking. ~ Len (my dad)

Tofu Lettuce Wraps

newinthekitchen — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:30:15 +0000

My brother’s wonderful girlfriend, Crystal, taught me how to make these delicious tofu lettuce wraps. Since then, we’ve made them several times and LOVE them everytime we do. Crystal is quite a chef!! If you aren’t a fan of tofu you can always substitute chicken in this recipe…however, give the tofu a try! It is SO tasty and very good for you. This recipe would work well in two ways: larger portions for a main course or smaller portions for an appetizer or first course. Yummy!

Ingredients:
1 package Firm Tofu (buy Extra Firm if it is available), cut into 1-inch cubes
½ cup vegetable oil, for frying tofu
1 teaspoon sesame oil
6 green onions, sliced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
¼ cup Hoisin Sauce (available in the Asian section of most grocery stores)
A few dashes of low-sodium soy sauce or to taste (if you have regular soy sauce just use a little less)
A few dashes of rice wine vinegar or to taste
½ cup water chestnuts, chopped roughly
1 cup slivered carrot
1 cup bean sprouts
½ cup shelled edamame beans (we buy them pre-shelled in the frozen section at our grocery store)
1 head butter lettuce or iceberg lettuce

Directions:
1. Allow cubed tofu to sit on paper towels to drain excess water for 20-30 minutes. This will help it to cook faster in the oil.

2. In a wok or other heavy-bottomed pan, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Cook tofu until golden browned (about 7-10 minutes).

3. Remove tofu from pot and place on a paper towel to drain oil. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on the tofu.

4. Add onion to oil and turn down heat to medium. Cook until onion is softened, then add garlic and ginger and cook for about a minute.

5. Next, add Hoisin, soy sauce, and vinegar. Stir and then add remaining veggies and allow to cook together for about 1-2 minutes.

6. Toss sesame oil in and stir once more.

To serve: Pile tofu mixture into lettuce like a taco and serve.

Tip: If the veggie mixture has a lot of liquid you can add corn starch and water very slowly into the pot. Follow directions on the corn starch box for further instruction.

Enjoy!!!

Gruyere Cheese & Potato Gratin

newinthekitchen — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:16:20 +0000

We had Brady’s parents, brother and our sister-in-law to our place last year during the Holiday season for a nice meal. We did a pork roast, a salad and these delicious potatoes. They were a hit! They are perfect when served as a side dish alongside your Thanksgiving turkey or other Holiday dinner.

** This recipe will serve about 6 people.

Ingredients:
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and cut in half
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large slice of white onion
Pinch of salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon white pepper
2 ½ pounds of peeled and thinly sliced potatoes (we use russet potatoes, although I see red potatoes as working well for this dish also)
7 ½ ounces of Crème Fraîche (available at most grocery stores or gourmet food stores; it’s similar but not the same as sour cream)
1 ½ - 2 cups Gruyere cheese, shredded

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425°F.

2. Rub the side of a 2 quart glass dish with the cut side of the garlic cloves and enough butter to grease the side and bottom. You’ll be pleasantly surprised when you discover how much garlic flavor this technique will add to your potatoes.

3. Blanch the potatoes (see note below). Drain and discard the onion.

4. Spread half of the slices of potato in the greased glass dish. Salt and pepper to taste (we use just a pinch of each). Top the potatoes with half of the Crème Fraîche and half of the shredded cheese.

5. Place the remaining potatoes on top, and cover with remaining Crème Fraîche and shredded cheese.

6. Dot with the remaining butter (which means to cut it into small pieces and place them all over the top).

7. Bake at 425˚ for 35-45 minutes or until the top is browned.

** To blanch the potatoes, put them into boiling water with onion slice and salt; then remove them after about 5 minutes and place them immediately in ice water to stop the cooking process.

Thanksgiving Cyber Tuesday #3

newinthekitchen — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:51:33 +0000

I can hardly believe that Thanksgiving is next week! Holy cow!! Time sure does fly. This week I figured that I’d concentrate my cyber surfing on yummy Thanksgiving side dishes. Last week I focused on meat and the week before was a collection of a bunch of useful info, so bring on the sides!

1. Wild Rice Dressing – This recipe looks delicious and nutritious. With the addition of dried fruit (either apricots or cranberries, your choice) plus crunchy pecans, you can’t go wrong serving this dish!

2. Cranberry Salad – A tasty looking green salad which brings classic cranberries to your Thanksgiving table in a whole new way! Yummm.

3. Dressing Up Mashed Potatoes – This is a great blog article with tips on sprucing up your average mashed potato. Great tips!

4. Garlic Roasted Green Beans – YUMMM! I love the idea of getting away from the typical green bean casserole and going with a delicious roasted green bean dish. This recipe adds some almonds for crunch and looks absolutely great!

5. Cornmeal Biscuits – We like to use cornmeal from time-to-time for added texture and flavor in our dishes. This recipe looks like it will be really great and the directions are easy to follow.

Roasted Garlic Basil Spread

newinthekitchen — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:00:07 +0000

This is so easy! All you do is smear a mixture of roasted garlic gloves and a few spices on toasted French bread…it’s DELICIOUS! Plus you get all of the flavor of garlic bread without the butter which makes this option a healthier substitute! A thought that just came to me is that this spread would also be amazing when smeared on any type of meat prior to cooking (thought, don’t use the optional cream cheese if you do this).

*** Note: Roasting garlic seems to tame down the intense smell and taste of garlic. This is why you can spread many cloves on the bread without it being insanely (and offensively perhaps) garlicky. Roasting it brings out the natural and somewhat sweet flavors that garlic has. Very tasty!!!

Ingredients:
2 heads of garlic, whole
Pinch of minced fresh or dried basil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Olive oil
French bread, sliced

2 heads of garlic, whole; olive oil

Preheat oven to 400° F. Take two heads of garlic and remove the papery outer layer. Slice approximately half an inch off the top of each head to expose the cluster of cloves. Place garlic, cut side up, on a foil-lined baking sheet or in a baking dish Drizzle 1 teaspoon of extra virgin oil on top of each head of garlic. Bring up sides of foil and seal the garlic, or, if using a baking dish, cover it. Roast for 40-45 minutes. Allow to cool, then separate cloves and squeeze them to make a pulp. Spread pulp on warmed or toasted baguette. For a creamier texture, you could blend garlic pulp with some softened fat-free cream cheese.

Directions:
1. Roast the garlic.

2. Allow it to cool, then separate cloves and squeeze them to get garlic pulp out. Mix with basil, salt and pepper, then spread it onto warmed French bread.

** For a creamier texture try mixing roasted garlic pulp with a tablespoon or so of softened cream cheese.

Stinkin’ garlic!

newinthekitchen — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:00:11 +0000

For such a delicious ingredient garlic sure is smelly! I am in the group of our population who happens to believe that the smell is delicious, irresistable, etc. However I have one exception. Garlic breath is….THE WORST!!!!! Alas, there is an easy cure! After eating a garlic-packed dish simply munch on some fresh parsley. Not sure why this works but it totally does!

Here are a few more garlicky tips:
- To easily peel garlic use the heel of your hand to press the flat side of a wide knife over the whole clove to crush. This will loosen the skin so that you can easily remove it. Another great way to peel garlic (and leave the clove whole) is to throw the cloves in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. The skin will come right off, but beware because they will be hot hot hot!!

- To remove a garlicky smell from your hands simply rub them together with salt and lemon juice. Rinse hands with warm water when you are done. Voila! No smell!

- Easily keep garlic from sticking to your knife by mincing with a little coarse salt.

Got a good garlic tip??? Share it with us!

Glorious Garlic Tips

newinthekitchen — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:00:51 +0000

1. Raw garlic is the most nutritious for you, but you can still get the goodness that garlic has to offer when it is cooked.

2. Raw garlic packs the biggest and strongest amount of flavor. When used raw, be aware that it will leave your guests with garlic breath.

3. The smaller the clove and the closer it is to the center of the garlic head, the stronger the flavor.

4. For just a hint of garlic flavor, try rubbing a garlic clove sliced in half onto baking dishes before adding other ingredients.

5. Remove garlic or onion smells from your hands by wiping them with fresh lemon juice.

Here is come great info that we’ve acquired from one place or another over the last eight months.

- Raw garlic is the most nutritious for you, but you can still get the goodness that garlic has to offer when it is eaten cooked (try it roasted!).

- Chew on fresh parsley after eating to help cure garlic breath. Is this parsley cure a possible reason for the ever-present sprig of parsley served as garnish at restaurants???).

- Raw garlic packs the biggest and strongest amount of flavor. When used raw, be aware that it will leave your guests with garlic breath (or at least have some fresh parsley close-at-hand to help ease the stench).

- The smaller the clove and the closer it is to the center of the garlic head, the stronger the flavor will be. This is exactly opposite of what I had once believed. I used to grab the biggest clove off the head that I could find. However, you can really taste the difference. Check it out!

- For just a hint of garlic flavor, try rubbing a garlic clove sliced in half onto baking dishes before adding other ingredients. We have often used this method when making gratin potatoes (I’ll post our recipe during the Holiday season). You wouldn’t think that it would do much but it really, really does!

*** Click here for more great garlic info!

Garlicky Garlic Bread

newinthekitchen — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:30:48 +0000

Remember when sautéing garlic that it burns very easily. You really only want to sauté the garlic until you start to smell it, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. This recipe will make one loaf of bread.

Ingredients:

1 loaf of French bread, cut in half 4-6 cloves of garlic, minced finely

1 stick of salted butter

Directions: Preheat oven to 350˚. Melt butter in a small saucepan on medium heat. Put garlic in the melted butter and sauté approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute. Brush inside of French bread with garlic butter. Sprinkle pepper to taste. Bake for 10-20 minutes. Slice and serve warm.

Remember when sautéing garlic that it burns very easily. You really only want to sauté the garlic until you start to smell it, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. This recipe will make one loaf of bread.

Ingredients:

1 loaf of French bread, cut in half

1 stick of salted butter
4-6 cloves of garlic, minced finely

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350˚.

2. Melt butter in a small saucepan on medium heat. Put garlic in the melted butter and sauté approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute.

3. Brush inside of French bread with garlic butter. Sprinkle pepper to taste.

4. Bake for 10-20 minutes. Slice and serve warm.