We discovered more or less by accident that you can roast garlic in a slow cooker. And then we just couldn't stop experimenting! Thanks to the new bags of fresh, pre-peeled, vacuum-sealed garlic cloves at our supermarket, we were buying gobs of fresh garlic again for the first time in years.
We had long known how to roast garlic in the oven, but the resulting need to squish oil-covered cloves out of their skins afterward is, frankly, a messy operation. (We could never find an easy way to peel the cloves before roasting without squishing them in the process.)
The pre-peeled fresh garlic may not have arrived in your grocery store yet, but it's worth asking the produce manager to order it. The garlic is sold by a California company called Melissa's. Check the product on their Web site at melissas.com/catalog/indexcfm?Product—id3657&InfoNO
Our 20-minute recipe for Sauteed Chicken with Roasted Garlic Glaze is inspired by the flavors found in the old oven recipes for "Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic." You can use pre-peeled garlic roasted in a slow cooker or in the oven. If you can't find the peeled garlic, today's recipe also explains how to roast conventional garlic.
Menu suggestion: Sauteed Chicken with Roasted Garlic Glaze
Wild rice pilaf
Steamed broccoli spears
SAUTEED CHICKEN WITH ROASTED GARLIC GLAZE
Start to finish: 20 minutes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, preferably crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (see Cook's note)
1 tablespoon olive oil
10 cloves Especially Easy Roasted Garlic (for about 1/4 cup minced), recipe follows
2/3 cup white wine or chicken stock
1 tablespoon butter
fresh minced parsley, optional garnish
Cook's note: Some chicken breasts weigh as much as 8 ounces each. Cut very large pieces in half for 2 servings.
Place the flour, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper in a zipper-top plastic bag, seal the bag and shake to mix well. Place the chicken pieces between pieces of plastic wrap or wax paper and pound until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Place the chicken in the bag and shake to coat with the flour mixture.
Heat the oil over medium heat in an extra-deep 12-inch skillet. Place the chicken in the skillet and cook until brown on the first side, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, mince the garlic and measure out the wine. Set both aside.
When the chicken is brown on the first side, turn and cook until it is brown on the second side and cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Remove the chicken to a serving plate. Immediately pour the wine or broth into the skillet and stir, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic to the skillet and stir well. Add the butter and swirl the skillet until the butter is about half melted. Remove the skillet from the heat and continue to swirl until the butter is completely melted. Pour the glaze evenly over the chicken, and sprinkle with minced parsley, if desired. Serve at once.
Serves 4.
Approximate values per serving: 321 calories (34 percent from fat), 12 g fat (3 g saturated), 107 mg cholesterol, 38 g protein, 8 g carbohydrates, trace amount dietary fiber, 219 mg sodium.
ESPECIALLY EASY ROASTED GARLIC
Start to finish: 3 minutes preparation, plus 20 minutes baking time or 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours in a slow cooker
20 garlic cloves, preferably already peeled
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
Preheat the oven to 350 F, or you can use a slow cooker.
Place the garlic cloves in a small bowl. If the cloves are not peeled, cut 1/4 inch from the top of each clove first. Drizzle the olive oil over the garlic, and stir until some of the oil is clinging to all of the cloves.
If baking, place the cloves in the center of a sheet of aluminum foil, and fold the foil to seal the cloves tightly. Place the packet in a small baking pan, and bake 20 to 25 minutes or until the cloves are soft when pierced with a toothpick.
If using a slow cooker, do not wrap in foil but place the cloves directly inside the crockery pot. Cover the pot, and cook on low heat for 2 1/2 hours or on high for 1 1/2 hours or until the cloves are soft. The garlic keeps refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 10 days. (If the cloves are not peeled, squeeze them from their skins before use.)
Makes 20 cloves (about 1/2 cup chopped).
Approximate values per teaspoon: 5 calories (20 percent from fat), trace amount fat (0 g saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, trace amount protein, 1 g carbohydrates, trace amount dietary fiber, trace amount sodium.
Beverly Mills is a former food editor of the Miami Herald food section and a mother of two; Alicia Ross, a former food columnist for The Raleigh News and Observer, also has two children. They have been living the desperate life for years and years. Send desperate tales of woe or everyday success stories and your favorite quick recipes to Desperation Dinners, c/o United Media, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. Or visit the Desperation Dinners Web site at www.desperationdinners.com. You can e-mail Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross at bev-alicia@desperationdinners.com