Chicken With 40 Cloves of Garlic

[Jenise]

Yesterday I took Amanda Hesser's collection of favorite recipes from the New York Times off the shelf and had Bob pick out a chicken recipe for dinner. He went with the Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic. (It was actually his second choice, his first, a spicy Kerala-flavored BBQ'd chicken, required marinating and we didn't have that kind of time. We'll have that tonight.) This is a very interesting recipe that completely upended my idea of what this dish was supposed to be.

Long ago I did make one version of a recipe by that name--years ago when it was having a bit of a rage--a stove-top 30-40 minute preparation that was tasty enough but I never thought to make it again.

The dish I made last night was James Beard's original, circa 1960 and bore no resemblance, both in method or intent, to the other I made. The other was a flavorful but reasonably quick dinner, something you'd scoop over rice. I recall that the cloves were peeled and fried off separately. James' recipe is about the magic of long-cooking (90 minutes) and unpeeled garlic to be eaten interactively with soft French bread, wherein you dip the bread in the fabulous cooking juices and squeeze the cloves onto it.

Per Amanda, he apparently wrote two versions. The earliest one called for Cognac instead of vermouth and for the lid to be pasted shut with a flour and water mixture. The second skips that tedious step in favor of a mere covered casserole and vermouth. I went with the latter and pared it down from three layers of 16 pcs of chicken to a more manageable single layer of six thighs but was otherwise fairly faithful to method* and intent.

OMG. First of all, the flavor. The celery-onion layer under the chicken left the familiar territory of chicken soup flavors and acquired a more important and harmonious exotic flavor from the vermouth, fresh tarragon and nutmeg--none obvious or traceable after the long cook--which I used the full complement of instead of reducing when I reduced the quantity of chicken. We're talking half a cup, a tablespoon of chopped fresh and a few gratings respectively, none of which was out of line for six pieces of chicken.

And then, though we had no instructions to do so, I served the chicken with the juices in shallow bowls and we found ourselves shredding the chicken to combine with the onion-celery mixture and scooping wads of it onto the bread. Heavenly. True French country cooking at its best, and perfectly paired with an 06 red Burgundy from Chandon de Briailles.

*About "fairly faithful to method". A place I deviated was the requirement to coat each piece of chicken in oil before adding it to the pot. Adding that kind of fat to skin-on chicken made no sense to me. Instead I cut the fatty edges off each piece, leaving just a top mat that would add flavor and respond well to broiling to brown (also not in the recipe) after the initial hour and a half bake, and drizzled just a little olive oil over all before putting the lid on.

Words don't seem adequate this morning to explain how much I loved this. Make that, WE loved this. Bob swooned no less than I over every bite. THIS is a dish I need in my life. It will join that very small handful of foods I make again and again and crave when we go too long without it.

The earliest one called for Cognac instead of vermouth and for the lid to be pasted shut with a flour and water mixture.

This is the method traditionally used in North Indian "dum" cooking. The food is assembled in the cooking pot, the lid is sealed with a dough mixture, then the vessel is slow-roasted. The dish is done when cracks form in the dough seal and start letting off steam.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

I didn't know that! I have seen it elsewhere in old-time French cooking. I was wondering if it was because inexpensive materials meant lids were light and generally didn't fit tight enough. No worries for the All-Clad casserole dish I used.

Jenise, this sounds wonderful. I have never made this dish, but after reading this, I will have a try. I know the Francophile will love it. He's a big fan of slow cooked chicken.

When we were travelling in Peru, we came across garlic paste made by squeezing out the contents of slow-roasted garlic cloves. It was delicious spread on bread and washed down with a cold beer. Cooking chicken "40 Cloves" will recapture some of that.

Jenise, it took some serious looking to find a real copy of this recipe. Lots of people claim to publish Beard's original but then you see it has no onions and the cloves are peeled.... But I did find it and, as with Matilda's in-house Froggy, we also like stewed chicken around here so I'll give this a whirl sometime soon.

[Jenise]

I can add the recipe to this thread. I meant to, in fact, but the book was downstairs and I was up here so I settled for waxing poetic about the meal I'd loved so much just to get started.

Jeff, we actually found that the skins were quite edible. Some we squeezed, some we didn't. Be sure to go with light and airy French bread, crusty outside and poofy within, cut about 1" thick because that's what it needs to hold up under the weight of what you'll scoop onto it.

[Jenise]

Here's my version of the recipe:




2 big stalks celery cut into long strips (I went with 3 inch lengths and would recommend it)

1 onion, cut in half and slivered

40 cloves of garlic, unpeeled

1 heaping tablespoon of fresh tarragon, chopped

3 sprigs parsley (Jenise note: if you have it, no big deal if you don't)

8 pieces of chicken

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

freshly grated nutmeg

2 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 c dry white vermouth

oil

French bread, the kind with the puffy soft middle, warmed and cut 1" thick



Heat the oven to 375F. Cover the bottom of a heavy casserole (or dutch oven kind of pan with a tight fitting lid) with onions, celery, garlic cloves, tarragon and several dashes of nutmeg. Trim the chicken pieces of excess fat, salt and pepper each piece, and layer over the vegetables. Pour the vermouth over the chicken and drizzle with about 2 tblsp olive oil.



Cover the casserole tightly. Add a layer or two of aluminum foil if your lid is lightweight or not tight fitting. Bake for 1.5 hours without removing the cover. Remove the lid and run the chicken under the broiler for a few minutes to color the chicken skin.



Serve direct from the casserole. James Beard's directions at this point are for you to squeeze the garlic cloves onto the bread and spread it. The Jenise option: shred the chicken with two forks so that the meat and pan juices etc all meld together, and scoop this on your bread.

Thanks, Jenise!

OK, made this yesterday, although did not get to taste it until today. (I live a whirlwind social life, you know.) I pulled out just a leg and two cloves.

Delicious. The chicken has a texture almost like confit, rich and velvety. The garlic skins are definitely not edible but the insides are six shades of maghogany brown and great spread on bread w or w/o added chicken. There is quite a bit of fat and other juices congealed n the cocotte... maybe soup dumplings are in the offing for next weekend. ::smiling soup dumpling icon::

I used a lot more chicken than Jenise, white wine instead of vermouth, and, of course, fennel instead of onion. When I get a taste of the vegetable base I'll report back one more time.

Thanks for the great idea, Jenise!

[Jenise]

Good job. I want this again. Should make it for my neighbors. They've just found out that she has hemachromotosis, if I got the word right. Her blood is producing too much iron. She should be at 50 and she started out at like 950. She has to give a pint of blood every two weeks and meanwhile she's precariously barely above anemic. It runs in families of Irish descent. No more red meat. In fact, no more a lot of things. This dish would be great for them.

The title jumped out at me, even though it's an old post.. I love Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic. I make it in a clay vessel (such as a Romertopf). Squeezing the garlic onto bread is great.

Wow, I wondered where Larry had gone! I have a soft spot for NM and always read your posts with interest. Seasons greetings to you.

[Jenise]

LARRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!

You really should drop in more often. (hugs!)

I promise I'll pop in more often. Life got in my way for quite a while.

Have to admit, I'm not very familiar with the current format here. I don't see a lot of threads. Are any of the old timers still around, such as Bob Hendrick?

I promise I'll pop in more often. Life got in my way for quite a while.

Have to admit, I'm not very familiar with the current format here. I don't see a lot of threads. Are any of the old timers still around, such as Bob Hendrick?

Good to see you back.
I guess I qualify as an old timer and am still around although mostly in lurker mode.
Bob H. passed away 4 or 5 years ago.

[Jenise]

I guess I qualify as an old timer and am still around although mostly in lurker mode.
Bob H. passed away 4 or 5 years ago.

WINGER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My god, look at all of you! Yes, poor Bob was at an event involving several other WLDGers. Mike Filigenzi and Julia Benkert were there, Mike Hughes' house?, and Bob fell down some stairs. Maybe had a heart attack and fell because of it, but either way the brain injury from the fall was such that he went into a coma and left this earth a day or two later.

And yes, it's kind of quiet around here. Most people have gone on to Facebook and Instagram or other things. But a few of us still chat. We're a small family now but a family nonetheless.

That's really too bad about Bob. I had a connection via dogs with him. I remember him calling one day, distraught over the death of his dog. I really understand that. I still miss my avatar, Shadow the Wondermutt, who died in 2005. He loved Xmas and would put his nose on each present we opened.

I almost bit the bullet, myself, a couple of times over the last few years, but I'm still vertical. The big surprise exactly one year ago was my wife, who was always the paragon of health. After a series of syncope and a few concussions, many doctors and specialists, and eight months later, it was determined she needed a pacemaker. Now I have an android for a wife! Growing old ain't for sissies, for sure.

Tonight we're going to a friend's Xmas Eve dinner party. He's supplying an array of smoked fishes and cheeses. I'm supplying chili con carne (made with tri-tip roast) and homemade multi-grain bread (I finally figured out my oven). I made one loaf for the host's autistic daughter--a loaf that appears to have a mouse coming out of it. Taking a bottle of Motto Zinfandel and a Trinchero Napa Valley Mary's Sauvignon Blanc. We'll see what other people bring.

Running out of time, so Merry Xmas everyone. Wife's griping I got to take a shower.

[Jenise]

We were all sorry to see him go. Lost Lou Kessler recently, too. Cynthia Wenslow who I recall went to see you where you were playing piano, IIRC, married Stu Yaniger and off they went into a sunset of sorts. Others drop by occasionally.

Meanwhile I've developed gout, Robin's become a vegetarian, Barb Downunder lost her partner to cancer, Jeff and Pumpkin are still going strong, Dale Williams lost Lucy the Basset Hound and adopted Ruby, and all of us are paying more attention to our health. Sorry about your wife's heart issues--is her name Edith? Give her our best!

[Jenise]

We were all sorry to see him go. Lost Lou Kessler recently, too. Cynthia Wenslow who I recall went to see you where you were playing piano, IIRC, married Stu Yaniger and off they went into a sunset of sorts. Others drop by occasionally.

Meanwhile I've developed gout, Robin's become a vegetarian, Barb Downunder lost her partner to cancer, Jeff and Pumpkin are still going strong, Dale Williams lost Lucy the Basset Hound and adopted Ruby, and all of us are paying more attention to our health. Sorry about your wife's heart issues--is her name Edith? Give her our best!

I know he was a polarizing chap, but I miss not having Joseph (Chef) Carey to "kick around" with on this corner of the webs.
Jenise, as a co-gout conspiator, I feel you pain. Those acute attacks can sure get your attention.I have shunned daily medication and, for me, quitting booze helped me manage the disease.. Although, I have found stress to be a major trigger. Colcrys helps knock it down and if you catch the symtoms early enough, Indomethacin (NSAIDS) is effective and easier on the digestive tract if you get my drift .
Time to see what Santa left for me. Merry Holiday everyone.

[Robin Garr]

Larry! Winger! Welcome back, and all the best of the holidays to both of you and your families!

Thank you. And likewise to you and your family.

Say, is there a way to lock in a descending sort of messages, instead of having to do it every time?

[Robin Garr]

Say, is there a way to lock in a descending sort of messages, instead of having to do it every time?

Yes indeed, Larry! Go to the User Control Panel (Ucp icon above), and when you get there, click the Board Preferences button in the top row. Then click Edit Display Options, bottom button in the stack on the left. When you get there, choose your option in the bottom item, Display post order direction: Ascending or Descending.
While you're on that page, look at the other options too. You might see things you like!

Yes, it is complicated. This system was built by hackers.

[Robin Garr]

Hey, Larry, I just noticed that the icons shrink and the text description dissapears when we're down on a page. The Ucp icon is the one that looks like a head and shoulders silhouette, third from the right.