Got a Lot of Garlic?

[Badjak]

I like to crush my garlic before it goes in a mortar. If I don't, I find the garlic cloves want to slip out from under the pestle. But, it's not worth it to me to wash the mortar and pestle for one or two cloves of garlic.

My mortar and pestle is quite coarse. Cloves go in whole.
So no need to wash a knife & cutting board

 

[Linda0818]

It wasn't bad. It was one clove. Oh, the other thing that sometimes used to happen - the garlic would just go flying without smashing. I gave up on that and started laying the knife on the garlic and squishing the knife down by leaning on it with the palm of my non-dominant hand on the knife.

That's how I do it. But just once I want to smash it, lol.

Have you ever tried that trick where you put loose cloves of fresh garlic into a jar (or any container would probably work) put the lid on tight, then you shake the jar vigorously to remove the cloves from their peels? It actually kind of works. I tried it once. Not every clove came loose from its peel, but I was surprised at how many of them did.

 

[dragnlaw]

I once did that for the recipe of chicken with 40 cloves of garlic. I used two metal bowls (same size) and I think all but one or two were peeled. Sure made me chuckle and smile not having to peel 40 cloves!

 

[Linda0818]

I once did that for the recipe of chicken with 40 cloves of garlic. I used two metal bowls (same size) and I think all but one or two were peeled. Sure made me chuckle and smile not having to peel 40 cloves!

Isn't that cool?

I've heard of that 40 clove chicken recipe before. Never tried it, though.

 

[dragnlaw]

It was really great. It was not overly garlicky - just perfect. there are quite a few recipes out there but I have no idea which one I did.

 

[jennyema]

you need to cut up fresh garlic and salt it before you smash it