In The Kitchen - January 27th

By Chef Moreno & Cinzia Miotto

Garlic!

You love it or Hate it.

Garlic if used improperly can be a very unpleasant experience.

Garlic has been around since the Roman Empire or before. It’s been used as a spice and it also has healing qualities which people would use it for medicinal purposes. Even to this day all around Europe and in the English countryside you can find wild garlic growing-from when the Romans would make camp and plant their herbs during their conquering days.

There is a perception that Italian food is loaded with garlic. Real Italian cooking uses very little garlic and most dishes don’t use it at all.

You can use and prepare garlic in many different ways. I like to use small garlic cloves-they seem to have the most flavor. You can roast it, confit garlic is wonderful-almost sweet in taste (this is the way we use it in the restaurant).Frying is very popular but you have to pay a lot of attention to it because it can burn very quickly and therefore will turn out to be very bitter in flavor.

When preparing garlic the smaller you chop, cut or slice it, the more intense the flavor you will achieve in the dish.

If you want just a slight hint of garlic I suggest –crushed because you can easily pick out the chunks out of the pan whenever you want during the cooking process.

Today’s recipe is a staple in every Italian household and restaurant, so much so that it’s never on a menu-you can go in and just request it and the chef should be able to make it for you (it’s also a good way to judge the chef in his ability-it’s a simple dish but can be a little tricky to prepare it successfully.)The ingredients are basic and every pantry should have them-

Spaghetti aglio e olio (spaghetti with garlic and olive oil.)

Recipe:

-in a large skillet or pan slice paper thin garlic(as much as you want)add olive oil-about ¼ cup for every 300 grams of pasta

-generous amount of sea salt, little pepper and pinch of chili’s (the more chili’s the more spicy)

-add el dente spaghetti to pan and toss until pasta is nicely coated

-sprinkle fresh cut Italian parsley before serving

-grate fresh parmesan at table

-you can add shrimp or broccoli florets as well for extra presentation and flavor

Cinzia’s wine suggestion:

an Italian Chianti or B.C Merlot

Chef Moreno and Cinzia Miotto are owners of the White Goose Bistro in Prince George recently recognized as one of the 25 best new restaurants in the country by En Route magazine.  Click here  to view the  White Goose Menu

Chef Moreno is also available for catering and private cooking lessons

Email | Print | Facebook | Twitter | Digg | Del.icio.us