Garlic

[zipadeedodah]

Does garlic smell stronger than it tastes?

A recipe I was following said to use 3-4 cloves of garlic. In the end I only used 1, but whilst it is cooking (a casserole), it smells really strong of it! Will it taste that strong?

[saxy_jag]

It's probably a subjective question, depending on whether or not you like garlic. I would say yes, it does smell stronger than it tastes, but then I love it. I have one clove chopped into the mixed salad I sometimes have for packed lunch, but it smells really strongly. Fortunately we're all garlic lovers in the office.

[Gef]

Hope you didn't make the mistake my wife once did. First time she used garlic she used one bulb rather than one clove!!!

A casserole with one clove of garlic in it should not have a strong smell - but it should have more garlic :-)

[jump79]

Well the smell is very distinct, so if you don't like it, use only 1 or 2 cloves. The taste doesn't remain usually and if you chop the cloves up into tiny pieces, it gets mixed up with the other ingredients so the taste/smell is not so overpowering overall.

[zipadeedodah]

Thanks all - I could hardly taste any garlic at all, so it turns out it did smell alot stronger than it tasted!

[Dewi]

Hi zipadeedodah

The later you add the garlic to your dish during the cooking process the stronger the flavour will be.

For a 3 hour beef stew I add the garlic during the last half hour of cooking time.

Also the more you crush the clove the more oil you release from the clove, and it is this which flavours the food.
I use a garlic press which turns the clove into garlic puree.

[zipadeedodah]

Oh right, didn't know either of those things, so thanks for the information Dewi!

I'm a very novice cook, but like giving things a try!

[Dewi]

I've got a recipe somewhere for chicken with 40 cloves of garlic if you really want to enjoy the wonderful of garlic !

[Dewi]

Spot the missing word - taste - of course

[BBWCHATT]

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

(Poulet a Quarante Gousses d'Ail)

1.35kg (3lb) Roasting Chicken
40 Large Cloves Garlic
4-6 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
2 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary
2 Bay Leaves
4 tbsp Oil
Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 190�C: 375�F: Gas 5.
Clean the cavity of the chicken and dry with kitchen paper.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan.
Add the chicken and cook on each side, until lightly coloured all over.
Place 2-3 sprigs of thyme, 4-5 peeled cloves of garlic, a sprig of rosemary and a bay leaf into the cavity of the chicken.
Place in a deep casserole only just large enough to fit the chicken.
Pour over the oil used for frying and place the remaining herbs on top of the chicken and the unpeeled cloves of garlic around it and season well.
Cover the casserole very tightly, sealing well.
Bake for 1� hours, but do not uncover whilst cooking.
Remove from the oven and allow to stand, covered, for 8-10 minutes before serving.
Carve the chicken and serve with seasonal vegetables or salad, accompanied by crusty bread which the cloves of garlic can be squeezed on to.

http://thefoody.com/int/chicken40.html

[cyclone]

Garlick stinks, I hate it when somebody stinks of garlick, makes me gag, seriously I find it hard not to vomit.
If you can hardly taste it, why do you use it?

[zipadeedodah]

40 cloves?! One was quite enough for me, so don't think I'll be experimenting with 40!

cyclone....I like mild garlic, and garlic bread etc, but had never used garlic cloves myself in a recipe. Thought I'd give it a try, but once I had put it in I decided I wasn't keen on the smell, so wished I hadn't bothered! Another time I won't include the garlic...

[zimzam]

Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic is not as bad as it sounds. I've made that dish for some friends and our breath didn't strip the spring growth off any tree at 400 paces.