What do you like to do on a quiet evening when you know you will not leave the house anymore? Well, one thing you could do is cook something that contains its fair share of garlic.
My dad is always a little “socially” concerned with eating garlic, and for many years, I was not used to eating it at all. I remember the vacation I spent in Florida with my parents when I was 6 or so years old – we bought garlic flavored crispbread (not knowing that garlic is “Knoblauch” in English), as a food supply for a road trip. When we opened the package during a picnic by the side of an abandoned country road, it turned out what it was, and it was decided better not to eat it. So we fed it to a racoon who had accompanied us since we had food, and he ate up the whole stuff to the last crumb.
“What a shame!”, I would say now, in my garlic-loving days. Garlic does not only have wonderful health benefits, but also adds so much flavor to a lot of dishes! And still, my dad’s concerns got somewhat stuck with me – I am a little reluctant to eat it on an occasion that is probably followed by meeting people, so I mostly use it when I cook dinner on a stay-home evening. Evenings like that are the best for indulging in lots of garlic.
Okay, I know there is this roast-chicken-with-40-cloves-of-garlic thing going around on the internet, and my humble little recipe is far from keeping up with that one, but it still contains quite a lot of garlic, for my standards. The reason why I do not eat more garlic basically is that I tend to be a lazy girl. If I had more time, I would happily spend one hour a day with peeling and chopping garlic cloves, but at the moment, I do not see myself like that. (If I lived in the county where foodie dreams come true, and where you can buy already-peeled cloves of garlic at the supermarket, this story may have taken a different ending. But I live in Germany, and this means I have to peel the garlic myself.) I may try that 40-cloves-of-garlic recipe one day, though, when I feel ready for it. Until then, I will stay with magnitudes like this.
~ served in one of my lovely bowls ~
GARLIC ROASTED SQUID WITH HERBED TOMATOES
1 serving
Ingredients
butter or oil
4 cloves o garlic (or as much as you can stomach), peeled and finely chopped
150 g (5 oz) squid (I used frozen squid rings)
4 tomatoes, chopped
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1/2 tsp ground garam marsala
1/4 tps dried basil
1/4 tsp dried lovage
1/4 tsp dried tarragon
1/4 tsp dried chives
1 handful of fresh parsley
Directions
Heat some at in a pan and roast the garlic until fragrant. Add the squid and roast until done, then add the tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper, garam marsala, basil, lovage, tarragon, and chives. Cook covered for about 10 minutes. Throw in the fresh parsley, serve, and enjoy.
Any garlic lovers out there?
