After edamame,eddoe and even fennel, our next vegetable should have been a breeze. I use it without thinking in so many recipes but the challenge was to make it the star of the show.
And this is where I came up against a huge impediment; my husband's loathing of garlic. I warned him that a difficult week was approaching and tried to reassure him that I would segregate the food to prevent contamination. But his antipathy towards the stinking rose extends to the cooking smells and more specifically the smell of garlicky breath.
Freddie has not inherited the garlic-hating gene.In fact he holds the Pizza Express childrens' record for the fastest consumption of a plate of garlic doughballs. He started training for this event as a toddler when we would carry him out, at arms' length, his hair smeared in garlic butter. We called him dough-boy. I would soap and shower him clean before presenting him to his Dad for a bedtime story, deodorized.
When I suggested to Freddie when he came back from school that he could make our garlic bread for supper, he was delighted. And as he was scoring his own dish it was 11 out of 10. Chris, of course, abstained.
Garlic Bread
1 French Baguette
2 ounces of butter, depending on length of baguette.
3 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley
1 medium clove of garlic, crushed
Slice the baguette down the middle lengthways but just stop short of severing the two halves completely. With the top half, score deeply into individual slices but again don't cut all the way through the bread.
In a bowl mix the softened butter, parsley and crushed garlic together. The parsley should be chopped very finely. When it is all mixed together, spread evenly in between the two halves of the baguette. Close the two halves and wrap in foil. Cook in a preheated oven for 15 minutes at 180 C. Uncover the foil to cook for another 5 minutes. It should be golden brown. Don't allow to burn.
Man, that looks good! Would your husband eat it if it tasted really mild? What about something like the traditional French Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic? They go sweet and very mild. Possibly start with Chicken with 10 cloves of Garlic...
ReplyDeleteOooh, garlic. I love garlic. I suggest doing something with roasted garlic. That's good for recipes where you want to showcase it, since it makes it so mellow that you can take a lot more of it.
ReplyDeleteI like to roast a bunch of heads and just use it as a spread on bread. It's really good on a pizza with spinach, olive oil, parmesan, and sliced tomatoes (no sauce) too. Or how about roasted garlic mashed potatoes, or focaccia? I'd suggest bagna calda, but as a vegetarian I can't really endorse that.
I also have problems with my son Charles, he is a fussy eater still at the age of 17.
ReplyDeleteWhat I tend to do is just put a punnet of grapes or a chopped apple in front of him whilst he is on his computer. He is so busy in his own little world, that he does not realise he is eating them. Not ideal, but it works!!!
I wont lose hope and will try out some of the recipes on this site. He does love garlic bread though so it will be nice to cook it from afresh.
Your children are beautiful by the way.
Love Shelley
x
Figs Olives Wine
ReplyDeleteHe would eat it but feels all headachy after. There must be something in garlic that disagrees with him...he is missing out! As you can see, we went on to Chicken with 40 cloves - an explosion of garlic..
Sarah. I sense a passion for garlic in what you are describing. It is so versatile a vegetable so long as you like the pungency.
And Shelley.
It is never too late to try and embark on an adventure. We all know that. Quite a few people who leave comments on the site are adults who have been nervous about vegetables, or who have a partner who wont eat them. See if Charles likes the look of something here -Good luck to you both.
Charlotte
xx