Barbara Bretton: Wish You Were Here

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The Food Goddess is in the Kitchen! I am delighted beyond words to present my friend, my pal, Kali Amanda Browne (daughter of the beauteous and talented Marie) aka The Food Goddess. Enjoy!

The Joys of Pressed Garlic

Okay, it is time to get back on this horse… I have been away far too long!

This is about a food toy. The French trained among you might be horrified. I have two garlic presses, but one keeps losing a part and it finally broke. The other is relatively easy to maneuver but it yields less than it should.

The problem is that I need something that yields more than say 80% of what I put into it and makes the extra chopping unnecessary and something that is neither heavy nor cumbersome because Mom has small hands that are not as strong as mine.

I found a great tool but it requires a bit more blunt force than Mom is comfortable with, and she has to use both hands on occasion. On the other hand, the yield is this beautiful, consistent mass of pressed garlic that can easily make a lovely paste. Tiny dots of garlic in its released oils: it's a thing of perfection!

Mixed with pepper and just a dab of salt, lemon juice and olive oil and some herbs - and lathered on meats, fish or poultry, it works magic. If you want to, you can do a full head of garlic, and eyeball the oil, vinegar (lemon juice or even orange juice works well), pepper and herbs and jar it. Shake it well so that it emulsifies. You can keep refrigerated for weeks, though it is unlikely it will last that long.

But what I absolutely love is when I can use this condiment/dressing and pocket it under chicken skins. It cooks well under all methods (though it would be crispier if fried, obviously).

Last week we had a week where summer prematurely reared its head and threatened to melt us all. And my strategy was going to be to put our little indoor grill to use - most of what we'd cook takes no longer than 10 minutes (and 8 minutes is the average deadline).

We know the grill is wonderful with chicken breasts, steaks, kebobs and fish steaks. I wanted to try something else; variety is the spice of the palate. The cooking timetable on my user book for the grill told me that chicken thighs took 6-7 minutes on high.

Chicken thighs seemed like the perfect thing. I boned them and chose to leave the skin on; marinated in the paste for about an hour, with a good measure of the garlic paste tucked under the skin. Thighs are very forgiving and the fat content of the cut helps it stay juicy, so if you cook over the time suggested, it just scripts and browns but it rarely dries out.

My grilled thighs were fantastic with several choices of already prepared cold salads - a life-saver for those hellishly hot days when moving too much is akin to suicide. You can also grill sausages in their casing; remove and cut lengthwise when almost done and top with a tablespoon of the pressed garlic and cook an additional minute or two. It is tasty and just a little naughty because it is a cheat that tastes and looks like you slaved over a hot stove. I love my grill, but that garlic press is soon becoming one of my favorite toys.

You can email me at kali.templeofdoom@gmail.com.