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Hail to the
- Garlic Revolution
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by Betty Fussell
One of the most permeating of America's many revolutions in the 1960s was the garlic revolution. I can remember the dark years of the 1940s, when garlic was thought to be subversive of our American way of life and only the daring risked more than a quick rub of the salad bowl with a cut garlic clove. Back then, to eat a loaf of garlic bread was an act of bravado and to eat a garlic-laden spaghetti sauce was an act of liberation.
In the 1950s, however, Elizabeth David established a beachhead in England by publishing, in her Mediterranean Cooking, no less than a garlic manifesto. In the 1960s, James Beard and Julia Child mounted a two-pronged attack on the American heartland. So complete was their triumph that by the 1970s California's culinary bolshies, headed by Alice Waters, were roasting whole heads of garlic at Chez Panisse and staging all-garlic dinners, which began with garlic soup and ended with garlic sorbet. Today garlic is as much a staple in American pantries as it ever was in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Like them, we've discovered that garlic is not only one of the world's tastiest foods but that it is good for us. European herbals have always listed garlic as a tonic and a stimulant---to aid digestion, prevent liver trouble, and defeat hypertension. French herbals also consider garlic an aphrodisiac. I've often wondered whether Colette, who lay abed chewing garlic cloves the way Americans chew gum, was improving her health or her amatory prowess.
I joined the garlic revolution with my first bowl of garlic soup, which I made from Elizabeth David's recipe (below), despite my fear that she was spouting nonsense when she assured us that with garlic, as with other things, more is less. A whole head of garlic (as in James Beard's Forty-Garlic Chicken), lessens rather than increases garlic's pungency. Garlic in quantity proves to be not only mild and sweet in taste but as nourishing and filling as protein. With a poached egg on top, garlic soup can be a three-course meal.
After a summer in Provence, I became such a seasoned garlic trouper that I could take in stride that powerful combination of garlic and olive oil the locals call aioli (French for garlic is ail). Aioli spells Provence the way sunflowers spell Van Gogh, and I learned to spoon garlic mayonnaise on everything from fresh vegetables to eggs, shrimp, cod, boiled potatoes, chicken salads, steak, and pasta.
Best of all, I learned to thicken fish broth with aioli to make the triumphant fish stew of Provence called bourride. As traditional as bouillabaisse, a good bourride is much easier to make, particularly now that the food processor makes short work of what was once done laboriously by mortar, pestle, and whisk. You can make a frothy and creamy bourride in seconds, just as quickly as you can make that other once-difficult Provencal garlic and fish dish, brandade de morue. The brandade was so popular in Nice when we lived there in the 60s that a pound of it was delivered fresh to our door every Friday by the local brandade maker. In Provence, fish on Friday means garlic fish.
Needless to say, for any of these dishes, fresh garlic is essential. Throw out those dried, withered, or sprouting cloves. Throw out also that old garlic press you might have bought in the 1960s in the first flush of garlic enthusiasm. A press reduces the sweetest clove to fiber and liquid. Instead, take a heavy knife like a cleaver, place your unpeeled cloves on a chopping board, and mash them with the side of the knife. You can then easily remove the peel and mince the cloves.
Today, most of America's garlic is grown in Gilroy, California, home of an annual garlic festival that rivals the renowned festival of Marseilles, where garlic braids and wreaths still hang from every roof. Garlic, it seems, has forged another link in that ancient Franco American alliance that links the Marseillaise to the Star Spangled Banner and the chicken salads of the Fourth of July to the bourrides of Bastille Day.
Garlic Soup Serves 4
1 whole head garlic, 6 cups chicken broth, 1 medium onion, chopped,1 tablespoon each butter and olive oil, Pinch of saffron,Salt & pepper to taste, 4 large slices French bread, toasted,4 poached eggs
Separate the cloves of garlic and put them, unpeeled, into a saucepan with the chicken broth. Cover tightly and simmer 1 hour. Strain the broth into another pot and slip off the garlic skins when they are cool enough to handle. Saute the onion in the butter, oil, and seasonings until soft. Put the garlic, onion, and 2 or 3 cups of the broth into a blender, process until smooth, and combine with the rest of the broth. Heat briefly to blend flavors. When ready to serve, float a slice of toast and a poached egg on top of each bowl of soup.
Garlic Fish Stew (Bourride) Serves 4 to 6
1/2 cup dry white wine, 1/2 cup half and half, 1 cup or more fish broth or clam juice, Bayleaf, thyme, salt & pepper to taste, 1 onion, minced, 2 pounds white fish fillets, such as flounder, haddock, or cod, 1/2 to 3/4 cup Garlic Mayonnaise (see below) Make a bouillon of the wine, half and half, fish broth, seasonings, and onion. Simmer about 10 minutes in a pan large enough to hold the fish fillets in a single layer when you add them. Add fish and, if needed, more broth or wine to cover the fish. Cover the pan and barely simmer 4 to 7 minutes, or until fish is just tender. Pour the liquid off into a saucepan. Add a little of the hot liquid to the mayonnaise to thin it, then beat in enough of the remaining liquid with a wire whisk to make a foamy sauce. Pour the sauce over the fish. Boiled white potatoes make a good accompaniment.
Garlic Mayonnaise (Aioli) Yields about 1 cup
4 large cloves garlic, mashed and peeled, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt?1 whole egg?1 egg yolk, 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves (optional), 3/4 cup olive oil, Lemon juice to taste Put the garlic cloves with the mustard, salt, pepper, egg, egg yolk, and basil in a blender. Blend a few seconds. While the blender is on, add � cup of the oil, blend thoroughly, then add remaining oil slowly in a thin, steady stream until the mayonnaise thickens. Add lemon juice to taste.
s Did you know! According to the early Roman calendar, May was the third month. Later, the ancient Romans used january 1 for the beginning of their year, and May became the fifth month. May has always had 31 days.
Several stories are passed around to show how the month of May was named. The most widely accepted explanation is that it was named for Maia, the Roman goddess of spring and growth. Her name related to a Latin word that means increase or growth.
May is of of the most beautiful months of the year in the North Temperate Zone. Usually the snow and ice are gone and the hot temperatures haven't arrived. The first garden begins to sprout in May. The wild flowers are blooming, and the trees and grasses have turned green. Wild flowers that bloom in different parts of America are the forsythia, dogwood, violets, and jack-in-the-box. Many birds have built their nests, and mother birds are sitting on the eggs, which will soon hatch.
| Memorial Day or Decoration Day is observed, in most states of the United States, the last Monday in May. It is a legal holiday and is observed in memory of those who died while serving the United States in war. The graves of the war heroes are decorated with flowers. It was first observed in 1866. |
| Mother's Daywas first observed in 1908. It was designated by Presidential proclamation, and was recognized officially by Congress and the President in 1914. It is celebrated in honor of Mothers on the second Sunday of May. |
| Armed Forces Day is celebrated the third Saturday of May. The United States honors the men and women of the military services. The Armed Forces Day Celebration combined the Army, Navy, and the Air Force in 1950. Prior to that year, they had been held at separate times. |
| The Kentucky Derby takes place on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky. It is the most famous horse race in the United States. |
| Many Mexican Americans celebrate what they call Cinco De Mayo, on May 5th. It is the anniversary of the Mexican victory over the French at Puebla in 1862. It is a national holiday in Mexico. |
- Emerald is the birthstone for May.
- Hawthorn and Lily of the Valley are the flowers for the month of May.
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quote of the week May Quotation Then came fair May, the fairest maid on ground, ?Deck'd all with dainties of the season's pride, ?And throwing flowers out of her lap around. Edmund Spenster If you have a quote you think worthy, please email to me at info@casadante.com with your name and I will approve, post it here and give you mention! |
Casa Dante 40th Anniversary since 1971. We would love your participation. If you have a story, photo or just a blurb of a memory involving Casa Dante, please forward it for inclusion in this section. Send it to info@casadante.com Looking forward to hearing from you!
A customer sent me an article from July 30,1978. New York Times review of Casa Dante. Two stars, not bad! B H Fussell, of the NY Times described the then newly relocated Casa Dante "....like a boisterous Italian embrace....in a Fellini movie". I agree with the comparison.
Extra Specials for email group only ...we want you to take advantage of us! We are offering a 10% discount on parties of four ( minimum, please!) to eight guests on Monday through Thursdays for the month of April 2011. This is only for email or Blogger customers! Just print this and bring it along. You must be in our database, so make sure you are included by calling or emailing your request.
Mondays through May 2011.. This is only for May and email customers so read carefully 50% discount on any bottle from my wine list up to $150 when you order dinner, and mention this posting.
The above deals are for email customers only and may not be combined with any other offer.
Heres a tip.....Google " Casa Dante" and check out web coupons and deals we have out there! Im trying to help you have a great meal, and save money too!
Remember that we deliver larger office orders on weekdays throughout Jersey City and closer vicinities. Call 201-795-2750 for details!
If you are a fan of Casa Dante, the best way to get the word out is on the internet! You can help us improve Casa Dante's online visibility on the internet. Please review us on on any of the following sites and keep tried and true institutions like ours in play. Thanks for your help! Recipient of the "Diners Choice Award" on Open Table for April 2011 Thanks to our many fans! |
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