Under Pressure

Garlic has always been a big part of my cooking. There are those who always have onions in their house, or bread, or pasta. I always have garlic. Most of my life, I ate my dad's roasted chicken that had been marinated in a mixture of Maggi and minced garlic. All of my pasta dishes have some sauteed, minced garlic or roasted, whole cloves. One of the first recipes I tried from watching the Barefoot Contessa was her Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic recipe. In Los Angeles, there is a place called the Stinking Rose where garlic is the theme for every dish. They also carry a roasted chicken that boasts forty cloves of garlic too. When I was younger, I used to hear about this restaurant and imagine how fancy this place in LA was going to be. Then I finally got my chance to go there and walked into an entry way that had a gift shop with Stinking Rose t-shirts and mugs. Sadly, I realized it was just another theme restaurant for tourists who were in town visiting Hollywood and Disneyland. The food was not good at all.

But really, most of my cooking relies on a little bit of garlic in it. So imagine my reaction when my friend Ragini asked me last Sunday at the Dupont Circle Farmers market if I have tried "fresh garlic." "Of course I've used fresh garlic." Ragini then hands me this tiny, pale yellowish-white bulb. The skin of the garlic is moist and translucent. And the smell...the bulb smelled like it had been freshly minced even though the skin was fully intact. I have never worked with garlic so fresh. And now...I'm stuck. What do I do with it? I don't want to cover it up with any sauces. I want to use it in its purest form and really enjoy this gift. And now there is all this pressure to not waste it...What should I do with it?

Wednesday, July 1, 2009 - Safeway's Weekly Specials

Its Wednesday and its not just any ordinary "look at food that is on sale" Wednesday. Its a Wednesday before a holiday and the sales do NOT disappoint. Porterhouse steak for $4.49 a lb. Eight sweet white corn cobs for $2! (Have you ever eaten corn on the cob with butter and a sprinkle of garlic salt? YUM.)

The most exciting item is pork ribs for $0.99 a pound. While volunteering with N Street Village recently, I met this older gentleman who was cooking for a special event at the center. He was frying some chicken wings and they looked and smelled amazing. He fried them until they were a golden brown with no burnt spots anywhere. They were all uniform in color. It was like magic. We started talking about cooking and he kindly shared his BBQ pork rib recipe. He seasons his ribs, wraps them in foil, and slow bakes them in an oven at 375 F for 3 to 4 hours. He unwraps them, covers them in bbq sauce (he mixes regular bbq sauce with pineapple juice, hot sauce, etc.) and then puts the ribs back in the oven until the bbq sauce is baked on. I tried out the recipe about a month a ago and they were ridiculously tender . The meat just fell off the bone. Looking back, maybe I should have gotten this gentleman's number. I bet he had a killer recipe for macaroni and cheese.

Here are the specials:

Porterhouse Steak - $4.49 a lb
Pork Spare Ribs - $0.99 a lb (frozen. Fresh Pork ribs are $1.99 a lb)
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts - $1.99 a lb
Safeway Ground Turkey - $1.99 a lb
Peaches - $0.99 a lb
Mangos - $1 each
Cherries - $1.99 a lb
Coleslaw Mix - $1 a package
Ball Park Hot Dogs - $0.99 a package
Breyers Ice Cream - $2.20 per half gallon
Cheerios - $2 a box
Cool Whip - $1.50 a tub
Kraft BBQ Sauce - $0.99 a bottle (There was a $1 off 2 coupon in last week's Sunday paper)
Kraft Salad Dressing - $1.66 a bottle (There was a $1 off coupon in last week's Sunday paper)
12 pack of Coke products - $1.99 (with Safeway coupon that is available at the store)

***Disclaimer - Please note that each Safeway location is different. Please check your local Safeway Weekly Special on Safeway.com to see their specials.

KaBABs

Each Tuesday means the end of last week's Safeway deals. In case you haven't decided what to make for dinner tonight and you are craving some red meat, you might want to take advantage of the Bottom Round Steak for $1.88 a lb sale that ends tonight. I realize that my friends are very much like me and we are "just a little of this, just a little of that" cooks. We just throw in what we think would taste good and hope for the best. (I'm going to work on my recipe writing. I promise.) The kabobs above were made by Jazmin were delicious and cooked well in the George Foreman. She used garlic, honey, Worcestershire sauce, jalapeno, ground black pepper, sea salt, and some mixed Italian herbs to marinate the meat.

In case you want a recipe to follow, here are a few that might be useful to you: (I think the trick when using this type of meat is to marinate, marinate, marinate. You want to make the meat tender and flavorful.)

Sensational Sirloin Kabobs
Garlic-Mustard Glazed Skewers
Peppery Beef Kebabs with Braised Pearl Onions
Sirloin Kebabs with Southeast-Asian-Style Spice Paste

Feel free to add any recipes you would recommend in the comments section.