Fantastic Garlic and Chefs Secrets – oils.

Fantastic Garlic and Chefs Secrets, It’s not long before the clocks change, and with the prospect of shorter days and the first frosts already glazing the fields it’s time to prepare the garden for Winter. Time for clearing sensitive foliage before it succumbs to the lower temperatures, and beginning to think ahead to next year.

The last of the tomatoes are in, some getting that last bit of ripening in the house and the stubborn ones still green waiting to made into chutney in time to be ready for Christmas. However, it’s not all finished in the polytunnel the cauliflower Is slowly developing and the kale is the raised beds is still going strong.

If your a fan of garlic (life me) check out our post on gathering wild garlic and making a pea and wild garlic houmous

New beginnings.

This year as last I’ve been planting hardneck garlic, Caulk White. There are two types of garlic, hardneck and softneck. It’s the stems of the garic which as the name suggests are ether stiff and hard or soft and floppy. Most of the garlic in supermarkets is a softneck variety as it keeps well and isn’t too strong. As far as I am aware the hardneck varieties are a little hardier which is an advantage for growing in Scotland. The main reason I prefer it though is that hardnecks produce an edible flowering stem called a scape. This means I have two products to use from the one bulb. I am looking forward to using the scapes and trying out some new dishes.

As some things end, some begin.

The empty beds in the polytunnel have received a composing crop of Crimson Clover Green Manure to be cut back and dug in in a few week’s time. The chives have been cut back and the main event is to plant a new crop of garlic to be ready next spring. Last year was my first attempt at growing my own bulbs. All seemed to go well and the joy of using really fresh mellow garlic was more than worth the effort involved.

Time to plant next year’s garlic.

This year I have also chosen to plant some Elephant Garlic with large mild tasting cloves perfect for roasting and making oven baked garlic puree. I have planted mine in pots using a 50/50 mix of soil and compost. Planting is simple, separate the cloves and locate the flat root end of the clove. Push the garlic into the prepared soil until the tip is jest showing then firm up around each one. For standard sized garlic about 6” between each clove is ok. For elephant varieties 12” spacing is better. Because of the size of my pots, I have planted the cloves a little closer, fingers crossed it works.

Bad press.

I always think garlic suffers from bad press. A lot of people have the impression that garlic stinks and produces bad breath. Now I wouldn’t recommend chewing on raw garlic before a hot date, but along with chilies and fresh herbs it’s indispensable in the kitchen. Growing your own will give product better that you can buy. So get going. Now’s the time to get planting for next year!

Chef’s secret – Herb oils

Herb oils are a great thing to have on hand and extremely versatile. A drizzle of the deep green fragrant oil framing a dish is one of the simplest and effective ways of boosting the presentation. If you don’t happen to have chives, don’t worry, this works with any leafy green herb. Parsley, basil, chives, tarragon, chervil are all fine, chive produce the best colour, basil probably the best flavour. Do any one or mix and match as you wish.

It’s the simplest thing on the planet, take the herbs add oil and blend. A hand blender will do for lesser amounts. This will provide a simple quick herb oil but let’s take a chefy approach apply a bit of science and make something so much better ……

Making herb oil.

Right let’s get going, firstly you need a blender, whatever you have will do. a small sauce pan and a heatproof fine sieve. You don’t need to make a great deal of the oil as it goes a long way. But remember you don’t want to run out over the winter and have to buy expensive herbs and run the whole process again. And how we store the oil might surprise you!

Ingredients.

Makes about 180ml of finished oil

65-75g             chives

200ml              light olive oil.

Take the chives, pick out any withered pieces and check for insects but don’t wash them. Slice or snip them into 3-4 cm sections and pop into the blender. Add the oil, some chefs will tell you they use vegetable oil to bring out the full flavour of the herb. it’s a con, they are just trying to save money. Don’t use a strong oil that will overpower but a light olive oil will give you the best flavour.

Now start blending ideally with the pulse control we don’t want to create an herb smoothie. When you have a green oil with small tealeaf like pieces remaining, stop!

You have created herb oil, but now the magic happens-

The oil can be used straight from the blender but its a crude version which quickly separates on the plate. Heating the oil will improve the flavour and colour and remove the green leafy sludge.

Making an infused oil

Tip the oil into a smallish saucepan so it’s no more than 4cm deep.  You will also need a heat proof bowl sitting in a larger bowl filled with cold water and ice on hand to receive the oil and a fine strainer.

Put the pan over a low to medium heat and watch it like a hawk. Patches of clear oil will begin to appear after a few minutes firstly around the edges then in the centre.

As soon as any suggestion of simmering is seen quickly remove the pan from the heat. If it’s a very heavy pan that holds the heat, dipping the base in cold water can prevent it boiling.

Decanting and storing.

Carefully decant the oil into the sieve allowing the oil to drain into the chilled bowl. Heating and cooling the oil will help retain the colour and enhance the flavour. You will be rewarded with a deep green transparent, flavoursome oil, this can be kept in the fridge in a small jar for three to four days before the colour begins to fade. This method will work with any leafy green herb, so don’t let them go to waste, get blending.

The better option is to pour the oil into an ice cube tray and freeze it. YES, OIL FREEZES! Once you know this it opens a world of possibilities. You’re not just storing food, your storing work!

Give it a try, and get planting.

Enjoy life!

John.

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©John Webber. 2023