GARLIC CONFIT

    Garlic Confit pronounced con-fee sounded French, Italian... I was not sure. But it looked fancy to me and at the same time ATROCIOUS. Why atrocious is for two good reasons - my daughter made the first batch of Garlic Confit with just 3 cloves of Garlic in a small bowl of oil. One thing which made me lift my brow was the time needed to cook this Garlic Confit in an Oven. She said 2 hours?!!! 2 hours for just 3 cloves of Garlic & a small bowl of oil. Atrocious!!! And finally when she served me a toasted baguette smeared with crushed Garlic from Garlic Confit. I loved it. And there it was... all three cloves of garlic from the first batch was over in no time. My next good reason to feel, atrocious again.

    To all my attitude towards Garlic Confit is nothing but my initial getting along terms and now I am sure this is worth the time. If you like Garlic, then this Garlic Confit recipe is for you. I have two little VAMPIRES who love garlic at home and this Garlic Confit recipe is from my one little vampire- my daughter. But here the Garlic doesn't repel the Vampires rather they are too fond of the ingredients that they use extravagantly when they cook. My kids(they are no more kids in terms of age but otherwise they are a lot more of a bunch of overloaded childish lot) love Garlic in all terms.  

    Well, pondering through the web to find all about what a Garlic Confit is, Confit from Confire is a French word that meant 'to Preserve.' It is a technique that uses slow cooking at a low temperature to ensure the Preservation of Food. Mostly Confit technique uses Grease or Sugar Syrup to preserve food & mainly cooking at a very-very low temperature, somewhere around 90°C (200 °F), or sometimes even cooler. 

    Though the technique is all French which is ubiquitous to South-Western France, Garlic Confit is quite Italian. Condiment Confit has been unique to Italian Cuisine & they have their Onion Confit, Garlic Confit & Chilli Confit(Ha!, Chilli Oil). So my premonition about the name Garlic Confit justified the term it sounded more or less French or Italian to me.

    The next step was to find a simple way to make this Garlic Confit. To know whether I can cook this in less time. From what I understood is we need evenly cooked Garlic Cloves. And Confit technique needs to be cooked on a very-very low flame for a longer time. So no more questions on whether can cut down the cooking time. The rest of the doubts which tweaked my mind initially, I have tried to clarify with my little understanding.

PEELED GARLIC /GARLIC WITH SKIN-ON?

• I used peeled Garlic Cloves somewhere around 50 Cloves of Garlic in this recipe.
• Peeled Garlic Cloves needn't be squeezed out of the skins once cooked.
• It's time-saving, no fuss, no mess, no wastage & also no little bit of garlic left behind in the bulb.
• It also helps in even cooking. 
• So, I prefer using pre-peeled Garlic cloves for this recipe.

OIL - Olive Oil/Vegetable Oil?

    Most of the recipe calls for extra virgin Olive Oil. Heating Olive Oil destroys its volatile aroma compounds. Then, Olive Oil sounds too fancy, too healthy(as per norms) and above all too pricy(according to me & we need a whole lot of it too for this recipe). So I thought, why not any neutral tasting Vegetable Oil. Even world re-known chefs have tried this recipe with Canola Oil, Grapeseed oil etc., Research proved it would work just as well too. But both would taste surely different. Olive Oil retains the pungency in Garlic making it a worthy Garlic Oil. But neutral-tasting Vegetable Oil tasted more Garlicky. So here I leave you with - go with your Choice.

GARLIC CONFIT

How much Oil?

    Submerging the cloves in oil ensures that they heat evenly. And I would suggest using a wide pan for the purpose. So use enough Oil to cover all the Garlic cloves. 

OVEN/STOVE-TOP?

    Garlic Confit needs to be cooked at a very very low temperature for a long time. So that the flesh of the garlic cloves are softened and also they need to turn into a light yellowish-brown. Cooking them over low heat softens their flesh and lightly tans them. Slow cooking is the technique that yields melting tender and sweet garlic cloves, and along with comes a deliciously fragrant Garlic Oil as a by-product.

    What we need is very low temperature and also the Garlic Cloves should not brown soon. So again the choice is yours. I prefer leaving the pan in an Oven, which saves checking it at intervals & this way the garlic cloves do not brown soon.

    But for your convenience, I have added both the methods - Baking in an Oven and also the Stove-top method. 

For more Recipes with GARLIC, Click here...

Cuisine - Italian

Course - Condiment

Difficulty - Easy

Author - SM

Preparation Time - 20 - 30 Minutes

Cooking Time - 2 Hours(in an Oven)

Cooking Time - 1 Hour(Stove-top)

To read about the HEALTH BENEFITS OF GARLIC, Click here...

HOW TO COOK GARLIC CONFIT 

GARLIC CONFIT

INGREDIENTS:

For Garlic Confit:

Garlic - 50 Cloves

Oil - 11/2 Cups to 2 Cups

METHOD:

In an Electric Oven: 

• Peel the Garlic Cloves, Wash & pat dry them before use.
• Make sure the garlic cloves are not moist or wet.
• Preheat oven to 90°C(200°F). 
• Place the garlic and oil in a wide pan(Cover the garlic cloves with enough oil until it is submerged).
• Cover and bake until the garlic cloves turn into golden yellow and tender for about 2 hours. 
• Once done, remove the pan from the oven and leave it aside. 
• Allow it to cool down. 
• Transfer the garlic with a slotted spoon and pour the oil into a clean & dry airtight container.
• Store it in the refrigerator for longer shelf life. 
• Bring to room temperature before using.

GARLIC CONFIT

 On a Stove-top: 

• Place the garlic cloves and oil in a wide Saucepan (Cover the garlic cloves with enough oil until it is submerged).
• Heat the oil on a medium flame for a few minutes and then reduce it to as low as possible.
• Alternatively can place a heavy iron griddle at the bottom of the pan. 
• The idea is to poach the Garlic & not simmer it.
• Cook for about 45 minutes to 1 hour until the garlic cloves turn golden yellow and tender.
• Once done, switch off the flame, remove the pan from the stove and leave it aside. 
• Allow it to cool down. 
• Transfer the garlic with a slotted spoon and pour the oil into a clean & dry airtight container.
• Store it in the refrigerator.
• Bring to room temperature before using.

NOTES:

• I have used peeled Garlic cloves in the recipe.
• I needed about 11/2 Cups of Oil for 50 Cloves of Garlic.
• I have used neutral-tasting Vegetable Oil for the recipe.
• Can add rosemary and/or thyme along with the garlic for an aromatic Garlic Confit 
• Cover the jar tightly and keep refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.
• Alternatively, can freeze for several months. 
• Always keep the garlic cloves covered in oil.
• Use a clean & dry spoon while dipping into the Garlic Confit jar.

HOW TO USE GARLIC CONFIT?

GARLIC CONFIT

These tender, creamy cloves can be used in different ways:

• Use the back of a fork to break down cloves into a paste & gently smear it over a slice of toasted bread or a baguette.
• Add the tender Garlic cloves for quick Garlic Bread Toasts.
• Layer the Garlic Confit on a Sandwich or a Pizza, 
• Can add a few Cloves of garlic & its oil with vinegar to make a Vinaigrette.
• Or add it into your preferred Salad Dressing.
• Simply add some garlic oil & garlic cloves while stir-frying Broccoli, Cauliflower, Snow Peas, Green Beans, Chinese Greens etc., For Stir-fry recipes, click here...
  
• Add a spoonful of Garlic Confit while roasting or grilling Vegetables/Chicken.
• Toss Garlic Confit into Pasta or into Aglio e Olio.
• Add it while making Soups.
• Stir a few garlic cloves along with oil while making Roasted Potatoes. 
• Stir the garlic paste into plain Greek Yoghurt or Ricotta to make a creamy garlic dip or condiment.
• Simply chop the Garlic cloves and add it as a topping to Garlic Naan. 
• Use Garlic Oil while making Garlic Fried Rice.
  

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Important : Food Safety 

A Warning About Botulism: 

    Garlic is an extremely low-acid vegetable. When it is stored improperly in oil (without oxygen) and warm temperatures or at room temperature, it can produce a very serious toxin that causes the illness called, BOTULISM. Botulism can be fatal if not treated immediately. 

     So, it is very important to refrigerate garlic confit. Use a clean jar with a tight seal to store garlic confit; cool the garlic and oil as quickly as possible, and refrigerate it immediately. If you store the preserved garlic properly, it should keep for several months, however, to be completely safe, do not store it for more than three weeks. Alternatively, can freeze garlic confit for several months.