Top chefs share creative, delicious garlic dishes
New England, August is usually the last gasp of garlic harvesting — so swing by local farmers markets in early September and you may find a final bounty of bulbs awaiting your creative culinary instincts. Need inspiration? We've tapped a few Boston-area chefs to share unique uses for garlic — transition-season recipes that will bridge the spiciness of summer with the comfort food-feel of early fall. Pistachio Garlic Knots
By pastry chef Kenny Hoshino of Waypoint
Cambridge's Waypoint focuses primarily on coastal-influenced cuisine and ingredients. Hence the Calabrian pesto that offers a kick to these excellent garlic knots, which ought to eclipse stale pretzels as the perfect snacks for gameday football-watching parties with foodie friends. (Recipe yields 30 knots.) KNOT DOUGH 3C c. high gluten flour 2 t. salt
1 t. sugar
2 t. yeast
1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1A c. cold water
Combine all ingredients in a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment and mix for 15 minutes until the dough is smooth, stretchy and slightly tacky. Place in a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 1 hour in a warm location. GARLIC DRESSING 1 bunch parsley leaves
chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
fine
Zest of 1 lemon
A c. extra-virgin olive oil 1 T. salt A t. chili flakes D c. grated pecorino romano
Mix all ingredients, adding additional olive oil as needed. PISTACHIO CALABRIAN PESTO 1 c. toasted pistachios 1 Calabrian chili
1 c. oil from Calabrian chili
jar
D c. mint leaves D c. parsley leaves Zest of 1 orange
1 c. extra-virgin olive oil Salt and pepper
Place all ingredients except for the olive oil in a food processor and puree. While the food processor is running, slowly add the olive oil until it comes together as a chunky pesto. Season with salt and pepper. ASSEMBLING THE KNOTS Knot dough
Garlic dressing Pistachio Calabrian pesto 2 T. honey
D c. pecorino romano 2 T. olive oil
D c. toasted pistachios Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Divide the knot dough into two equal-size pieces. Using a rolling pin, roll the first piece of dough into a long, thin rectangle, roughly 4 inches by 16 inches. With a pastry brush, spread half the garlic dressing over the top of the dough. Cut the dough into thin strips and tie into loose knots. Repeat with the second piece of dough. Place the knots on a sheet tray brushed with olive oil and bake for 10 minutes, or until the knots are golden brown and cooked through.
Place the cooked knots in a large bowl and mix with a generous scoop of the pistachio calabrian pesto and honey, pecorino, toasted pistachios and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately. Chestnut Skordalia
By chefs Diane Kochilas and Theo Tsilipanos of Committee Kochilas, a Greek cooking expert and consulting chef for Committee in Boston's Seaport, says she often adheres to a Greek tradition of keeping a clove of garlic in her pocket — said to ward off the “evil eye.” Personally, we'll save our cloves for the skordalia, a garlicky Greek spin on mashed potatoes that Committee augments with chestnuts and serves (on a new fall menu executed by Tsilipanos) with brussels sprouts. CHESTNUT SKORDALIA 2 lbs. peeled chestnuts 5 large Yukon gold
potatoes, peeled 10 cloves garlic 15 peppercorns
4 bay leaves
3 T. red wine vinegar
3 T. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut the potatoes into big chunks. Place them in a pot with the chestnuts and cover them with water. Tie up the peppercorns and bay leaves in cheesecloth and add it to the pot. Simmer until the ingredients are soft (about 1 hour). Mix them with a wooden spoon to become a puree. Place
the pot in the refrigerator until it cools down. Remove the cheesecloth packet and place the cooled mixture from the pot in a food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until the mixture is completely smooth. BRUSSELS SPROUTS 2 lbs. brussels sprouts 1 c. brown sugar
1 c. olive oil
1 t. salt
Pinch of pepper
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Place them in a tray and bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes.
Reheat the chestnut skordalia in a smaller pot and spread some of it on a plate. Add the brussels sprouts on top and finish with some chopped parsley and orange zest.
Crab & avocado with black garlic crystalline and sweet garlic custard
By chef Douglas Rodrigues of North Square Oyster
At new North End restaurant North Square Oyster, chef Doug Rodrigues uses New England-inspired seafood dishes as a starting point from which to add touches of high technique and elegant presentation (skills Rodrigues honed working at star chef Ken Oringer's late, great Clio). Here's an excellent example: a creative combination of flavors, including some inventive use garlic, plated together in perfect harmony.
Components: Lump crab salad
A avocado Matsutake mushroom
filaments Huckleberry preserve Sweet garlic custard Black garlic crystalline
Crab and avocado roll: Slice avocado crosswise, scoop out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten to fan out avocado. Line the center of the avocado with crab salad and roll over to create a cylinder. Reserve.
Matsutake filaments: Clean mushroom thoroughly with wet cloth. Then pull mushroom apart like string cheese until separated into strings of mushroom. Reserve.
Huckleberry preserve: Combine 1 cup of fresh ripe huckleberries in a bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Allow to macerate for up to two hours until juices begin to release. May take a bit of low heat on stove.
Sweet garlic custard: Simmer 2 cloves of garlic in A cup of simple syrup until soft and caramelized. Deglaze with A cup milk and A cup heavy cream and bring to a simmer. With a hand blender, mix in 2 grams of agar and return to simmer. Allow to cool in refrigerator until gelatin is formed. Puree in blender and set aside.
Black garlic crystalline: Set up silpat on sheet tray and spray with nonstick spray. Dust a single layer of granulated maple sugar onto tray and shake for an even layer. Place in a 350-degree oven until it melts into a glossy layer. Dust with black garlic powder (dehydrated and ground black garlic). Working quickly before it crystallizes, stretch and pull the sugar until you have shards of sugar (it is extremely hot so be careful). Reserve.
Assemble all components on plate.