Slow Roasted Garlic with Rosemary

By now my stash of garlic has seen better days, they're starting to grow roots and sprout green shoots in the middle. It's time to eat them up. Towards that end, I've been making lots of this mellow and creamy, Slow Roasted Garlic with Rosemary. The smell permeates the whole house, and when it is spread on my crispy No-knead Sourdough bread, there's nothing else like it.

three heads of garlic, cloves separated and peeled
place in a small casserole to hold the garlic in a tight single layer
barely cover with olive oil
a sprig or two of fresh rosemary
salt and pepper
cover tightly with foil
roast in 300 F oven, until garlic is very soft, about 30 minutes
remove foil
increase oven temperature to 350 F
roast another 10 to 15 minutes
until slightly golden

Served alongside warm and crusty No-knead Sourdough bread, your family and friends will beg for more.

No-Knead Sourdough Bread

When I needed to get out of town last summer, we headed out to the Cape to stay with our friends, Bob and Jeanne. Bob has been baking bread for as long as I’ve known him, and I've known him a very long time, so he knows what he's doing and his sourdough loaves are a thing of beauty. When he offered me some of his starter, though, a red flag went up in my head. If you’ve ever had experience with sourdough, you know what I mean. It’s like coming home with a pet that must be fed and tended to and I wasn't sure I was up to the task. But Bob made bread making look so simple and effortless that I threw caution to the wind and accepted his gift.

-->

-->

Bob's boule, the object of my envy

The sourdough sat in its one quart Ball jar in the back of my refrigerator. Every couple of weeks I'd pull it out, scoop out a cup to use in one recipe or another, then feed it. I would add 3/4 cup of flour and 3/4 cup of water to the jar, mix it all together and leave it on the kitchen counter until it comes alive and starts to bubble, usually a couple of hours. Then I'd put it back in the refrigerator to hang out for another couple of weeks.

This went on for several months as I baked decent loaves of bread and made wonderful waffles for breakfast. Bob's beautiful crust and crumb eluded me, however, until I discovered the no-knead method of bread making made famous by Jim Lahey a few years back. I’ve adapted Jim's recipe to use sourdough instead of yeast, and the result is perfection itself. The process is insanely simple, with a bowl and a wooden spoon the dough comes together in two minutes flat, no fussy measuring, no kneading, with only a spoon to wash.

The loaves come out of the oven rustic and gorgeous every single time. Cut through the crispy, thin crust, and the inside is holey, light and chewy. I’ve made more than a dozen loaves over the last few weeks. I can’t seem to stop making it and my kitchen smells like a French bakery. So to those of you who’ve adopted my sourdough, you must make this bread, and to everyone else out there, get your hands on some sourdough, even if you have to beg or steal or, better yet, make your own starter. DO IT! It will make you happy.

Recipe for No-Knead Bread

In a large bowl, mix together

2 - 3 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sourdough

1 cup water

3/4 TBS kosher salt

The dough should come together in a shaggy ball, sticky and wet. I let it rise in the same bowl that I mixed it in, mine came with a plastic lid that I put loosely over the top but a damp kitchen towel will also work. Let sit on the counter from 8 to 12 hours. I've left it for as long as 24. This is a very forgiving dough, I usually mix it up sometime during the day and leave it over night then shape and bake any time the next day.

Here's what the dough looks like after 12 hours or so.

Transfer onto a generously floured board, being careful not break the bubbles, gently shape into a ball. and let sit while oven is preheating. Put a heavy 5-quart dutch oven with its lid, side by side, in the oven, preheat to 500F. Any large, heavy pot will do, I've used Le Creuset and All Clad, both work very well.

When the oven is at 500F gently place the very soft dough into the pot. Don't worry about how it lands or how it looks, it'll still come out perfectly baked. Cover and bake 20 minute.

After 20 minutes, a pale crust forms.

Remove lid and continue baking another 20 to 30 minutes until deep golden and internal temperature between 200 and 210 degrees F.

Remove to a cooling rack and listen for the crackling sound the crust makes as it cools.

-->

-->

The Resulting Effect

Tim gave his all with a little help from his friends....

Chinese Barbecue Chicken - a family favorite

Tim was quite disappointed when he first learned that his all time favorite food came from a jar. Nevertheless, when my sons were growing up, they're now 25 and 28, this chicken had a permanent spot in my rotation. I always made more than I needed. The chicken was great at room temperature, and could hold for that commuter who, on occasion, would miss his train. The leftovers were perfect for after school sandwiches and salads for the rest of the week.

I no longer have to worry about after school snacks, and the commuter no longer commutes. However, after being with Tim the last couple of weeks, I was nostalgic for those days when my two boys would come home from school and devour huge amounts of food, mostly because they were growing boys, but also so, they could wait to sit down and eat with the commuter, who was often the last one in the door. And the first to leave in the morning, I might add.

I hope you make this dish and find time to eat with your family. I would love to hear about what you did with your left over chicken. It's all about the left overs, you know. Here's how to do it, I dare not call this a recipe.

• 4 - 5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, I prefer thighs rather than breasts, thighs are juicier and not so easy to overcook.
• 1 - 14 oz jar Lee Kum Kee Char Siu sauce
• 1 TBS soy sauce

Combine all three ingredients and marinate at least an hour or overnight in the fridge. Grill or bake in a 450 F oven for about 30 to 40 minutes, turning once. If baking, be sure to line baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easy clean up.

Serve with grilled vegetables and a mound of jasmine rice sprinkled with a few drops of Maggi Sauce. Enjoy.