Inquiring Minds Want to Know - Herbed Garlic Paste

So Miss Katie wants to know how to make herbed garlic paste.

Making herbed garlic paste is actually pretty simple. Here is what to do. Peel two cloves of garlic and push them through a garlic press.

You should use a garlic press because it produces a very fine mash of the garlic which is easier to blend with the remaining ingredients. Hand mincing of the garlic won't work nearly as well. You could crush minced garlic by pressing it hard under the blade of a chef's knife, but again the garlic press beats this hands down. So if you don't have a garlic press, now is the time to go down to the kitchen store and buy a good one for yourself. I use a Zyliss garlic press. (Highly recommended people!) I have had mine for 10 years and it will last me the rest of my cooking lifetime. So buy yours now, take good care of it and it will last you a good long time too.



[Sidebar One...A garlic press comes under the general heading of a kitchen gadget. Actually a better description of it is a kitchen tool. Gadgets are things that you don't really need and take up space in your kitchen. Gadgets are for the hopeless and not for you. What you need are good solid tools. So resist all temptations, and there are many, to buy hopeless single purpose kitchen gadgets. You have neither the space nor the money to waste on such frippery. (God, I have always wanted to use the word frippery in a sentence)]




[Sidebar Two...The pungent flavor of garlic is only released when it is crushed! If you were to peel a whole clove of garlic and cook with it, it would only impart a mild flavor. The act of crushing releases an important enzyme in the garlic cells which activates the pungent garlic flavors and aromas. So to maximize garlic flavor and pungency, pushing it through a garlic press works best.]




Ok, so where were we???? Ah yes, you peeled two cloves of garlic and pushed them through your snappy new garlic press. Place the mashed garlic on a flat surface. Add to this pile of garlic 1/2 tsp of kosher salt + 1/4 tsp of fresh ground pepper + 1/2 tsp of olive oil + 1-2 tsp of dried herbs (basil, majoram, thyme - your choice to use one or all three.) Using a spatula, mix all of these together (levigate actually) until you have a uniform paste. If you need to add a little more olive oil to aid mixing, please do so. If you want some more salt you can add this as well. The amount of ingredients here is really very flexible so don't be afraid to experiment. Just don't forget to take notes on what you actually did!

Please note that the recipe calls for KOSHER salt. Kosher salt is a large particle size salt which will aid the mixing and particle size reduction process that occurs during levigation. If you don't have any Kosher salt then take yourself down to the grocery store and buy some. It comes in big boxes and is really cheap and never goes bad. Plus you can dip the rim of your margarita glass in the stuff before filling it up.

So once you have your paste, you can then proceed to apply it to your steak. You can use your hands to do this or you can use the back of a spoon. Your choice. If you find that the recipe did not provide enough paste to cover the steak to your satisfaction you can always make more. This recipe is very easily scalable. You can double or triple it or more if you like. You will certainly need to do this if you plan to coat a large roast like I did last Christmas. Please note cooking fans, that when it comes to garlic paste it is strictly a case of use it or lose it. You cannot store the excess! So keep this in mind. Of course, in my opinion there is no such thing as too much garlic.

Ok, so I hope that answers your questions about herbed garlic paste. Any comments or questions, just let me know. Ok????

(That was a long answer to a short question wasn't it???)