Cheap Eats:
Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic
No one is really sure where garlic came from, and hypotheses range from Central Asia to the Mediterranean, with possible pre-Columbian existence anywhere from North America to the Philippines. Theories are that it was carried by very early wandering nomads—from back before there were country names and nationalities—to simply arising in a variety of places in the kind of synchronicity that found onions, cotton, and cherries on multiple continents. So we don’t know the identity of the original garlic forebear, just all the lovely descendants we enjoy today.
Garlic has long been valued both medically and culinarily. Around 2,500 years ago, the Egyptians were eating it, but also using it to treat headaches, tumors, and heart problems. The ancient Greeks considered it a vegetable, not a seasoning, and they indulged as often as possible in whole, baked heads of garlic. The Roman army ingested enough garlic that some suggested (or jested) that part of their success in combat was because their enemies were driven back by their breath.
Garlic is not universally adored. It has its detractors, as well as its fans. There is still a decided regionalism to the consumption of garlic in Europe. But in the United States, we have gone from being garlic skeptics before World War II to being among the planet’s great consumers of garlic. In fact, our love of garlic is great enough to be creating something of a trade imbalance. Gilroy, California, the garlic capital of the nation, has been taking a huge hit as China has flooded American markets with cheaper garlic. Blind taste tests have shown that California garlic has more flavor, but a lot of people just buy on price point, and so China is hurting California. It will be interesting to see how safety issues and flavor affect sales trends in the future, but in the last five years, while California has dropped from 160 million pounds of garlic per year to 95 million, China has jumped from 55 million pounds to 160 million pounds.
There are good reasons to eat garlic. Of course, number one is that it tastes great. But there’s more. The worlds of science and medicine have shown that loving garlic has definite benefits. It’s a powerful antibiotic—strong enough that, during the Middle Ages, garlic-loving priests who tended the sick stayed healthier than those who did not consume the “stinking rose.” Garlic has a beneficial effect on cholesterol levels and is high in antioxidants. Some people are allergic, and it can interact with some medicines, but on the whole, garlic is mighty good for you.
In the following dish, the garlic is not as strong as you might think. If you’ve ever had one of those baked heads of garlic, where you just squeeze the warm, sweet garlic paste out of the cloves and use it on bread, you already have a good idea what the garlic turns into in this recipe. The onions, tarragon, and vermouth don’t hurt, either. Enjoy.
Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic
2 medium-size onions, chopped
1 Tbs. cooking oil
1 Tbs. butter
12 chicken thighs
⅓ cup cooking oil
4 ribs celery, cut in long strips
6 sprigs fresh parsley
1 Tbs. chopped fresh tarragon, or 1 tsp. dried
½ cup dry vermouth
2 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
dash or two of freshly grated nutmeg
40 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Heat the 1 Tbs. cooking oil and 1 Tbs. butter in a pan, and sauté the onions until golden. Set aside. Brush the chicken thighs with the ⅓ cup oil, and sauté until brown. Cover the bottom of a large, ovenproof pot or casserole (6 quarts or larger) with the onions and celery. Sprinkle the parsley sprigs and tarragon over the onions and celery. Pour the vermouth over it all, then sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Lay the chicken pieces on top of the vegetables. Sprinkle the garlic cloves around and between the chicken pieces.
Cover the top of the casserole with aluminum foil, and then put on the lid. (This makes the pot nearly airtight, so steam is trapped.) Bake at 375°F for 1½ hours. DO NOT remove the lid on the pot while cooking.
Remove from oven, and serve chicken with the pan juices and garlic cloves. To get at the sweet, buttery garlic, just squeeze the cloves from the root end. This can be spread on bread, potatoes, or even bites of the chicken.
Serves 6.
Notes:
This can be made with a combination of thighs and legs, if you prefer. I make it with chicken thighs because it’s easier for diners to eat daintily if I’m having a dinner party.
While this dish will probably survive already-ground nutmeg, I do encourage you to get a nutmeg grater and a whole nutmeg and grind it fresh. It is almost unbelievable how much more intense the flavor is. If you don’t want to get a grater, then use a couple more dashes of the pre-ground stuff.
When preparing the garlic, just lean hard on the head of garlic. This will cause it to break apart into individual cloves—or close to individual cloves. Throw out the extra “paper” on the head, but don’t peel the cloves.
