Armenian Apricot Soup

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 onions, diced

3 carrots, peeled end chopped

1 tablespoon ground cumin

3 cups red lentils, rinsed

10 cups water

12 ounces dried apricots, chopped

Salt

Heat the oil in your soup pot over medium heat, then stir in the onions and carrots Sauté for about 10 minutes Add the cumin and stir well. Decrease the heat, cover, and let the vegetables sweat for 10 minutes.

Add the lentils and pour in enough of the water to cover. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the lentils and carrots are tender. Add more of the water as needed as the Ientils soften and expand.

Remove from the heat, stir in the apricots and any remaining water, and season with salt. Use an immersion blender to purée until smooth; alternatively, working in batches, puree in a regular blender until smooth. Take care not to oversalt this soup. The right amount will bring out the flavor of the apricots but leave the onions in the background. Serve hot.

Bouktouf (zucchini soup)

Ingredients

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 onions, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
3 large zucchini, diced
1/4 cup tomato paste
Juice of 4 lemons, or to taste
2 bunches cilantro, coarsely chopped, stems included
Salt

1. Heat the oil in the bottom (where else?) of your soup pot over medium-high heat. The oil should form a deep puddle. Add the onions and sauté them slowly, longingly, until they are limpid, about 15 minutes.
2. Add the potatoes, zucchini, and tomato paste. Just barely cover with water, turn the heat to high, and cover. Once brought to a strong simmer, turn the heat down to medium-low.
3. When the potatoes are very soft and the zucchini has given itself to the soup, about 20 minutes, turn off the heat. Add the lemon juice and cilantro, and season to taste with salt. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup to a smooth consistency; alternatively, working in batches, puree in a regular blender until smooth. The soup should shimmer in the ambient light. Serve hot or cold.

Hard Cider Mustard

Ingredients

About 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons (2 1/2 ounces) brown mustard seeds
Scant 1/4 cup (1 1/4 ounces) black mustard seeds
About 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) mustard powder
1/2 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup flat hard apple cider
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 Granny Smith or similar tart apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped

1. Soak the mustard seeds: Place the mustard seeds and powder in a medium glass or ceramic bowl along with the cider vinegar and hard cider. Set aside, covered (but not sealed airtight), for 24 hours.
2. Place the mixture in a food processor along with the salt and sugar, and process for 1 to 2 minutes until the seeds are coarsely ground. Add the chopped apple and pulse a few times to incorporate. This makes about 1 2/3 cups mustard.
3. The mustard will be very pungent at first. Cover and refrigerate for a few days (or to taste) before using.

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Sichuan Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

1-1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons soy sauce (Kikkoman is a personal choice)
1-1/2 tablespoons Shanxi vinegar, or balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons rice wine, or dry sherry
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
2 tablespoons Vietnamese Chile sauce (Ingredients should read Chile Garlic, Sugar, Salt and Vinegar)

Blend.

Gado Gado Sauce (for veggies)

1/4 cup coconut milk

2 Tablespoons peanut butter

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons grated ginger

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Mix well in bowl.

Lime Pickle

16 limes

1 cup salt

1 teaspoon fenugreek

1 teaspoon black mustard

2 Tablespoons sunflower oil

2 teaspoons turmeric

1 teaspoon asafetida

1/2 cup chili powder

2 Tablespoons superfine sugar

Cut limes in half, then each half into quarters, then each quarter in half. Put in bowl, add salt and mix.

Put in 4-cup glass jar. Allow to stand at room temp. for 1 week.

Fry seeds in hot oil for 1 minute. Put in mortar, add turmeric, asafetida and grind to powder.

Put spice mixture, chili powder, sugar and limes into non-metallic bowl and mix. Spoon into jar and seal.

Cilantro Yogurt Chutney

2 garlic cloves

ginger root, to taste

2 lemons

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

1 cup cilantro

1 teaspoon sugar

sea salt, to taste

3/4 cup plain yogurt

Chop garlic, peel and grate ginger, juice lemons

Put garlic, ginger, lemon juice, mint, cilantro, sugar, salt and yogurt in food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.

Serve as a dip or use as a dressing.

Fried Garlic Peanut Sauce

To most North Americans barbecue sauce is some variation on a combination of ketchup, brown sugar, and vinegar, but on any given day on Planet Barbecue probably far more people are dipping grilled meats in peanut sauce. The basic formula starts with deep-fried peanuts or peanut butter and the flavorings typically include garlic and ginger for pungency, sugar for sweetness, and fish sauce or soy sauce for saltiness. The peanut-sauce belt begins in Indonesia (its probable birthplace) and extends through Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia, all the way to Hong Kong. The Singaporean version owes its fragrance to fresh lemongrass and ginger. Dried shrimp are available in Asian and Hispanic markets. Fish sauce isn't a bad substitute, although you can omit it and still wind up with a killer sauce. The addition of fried garlic chips is very characteristic of Southeast Asia.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 cloves garlic, 3 cloves thinly sliced crosswise and 2 cloves minced
1 shallot, minced
1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed and minced, or 2 strips (each 1/2 by 2 inches) lemon zest
1 to 3 small hot chiles, such as Thai chiles or serrano or jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded, and minced (for a hotter peanut sauce, leave the seeds in)
1 tablespoon dried shrimp, minced, or 1 teaspoon fish sauce (optional)
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk, or as needed 2 tablespoons sugar, or more to taste
2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice, or more to taste
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground pepper

1. Heat the oil in a wok or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook, stirring, until golden, 2 minutes. Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Add the 2 cloves of minced garlic, the shallot, lemongrass, chile(s), and dried shrimp, if using, to the wok and cook over medium-high heat until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 minutes.
2. Stir in the peanut butter, coconut milk, sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, if using (instead of the dried shrimp), lime juice, and 3/4 cup water. Reduce the heat and gently simmer the sauce until it is thick but pourable, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the cilantro during the last 2 minutes of cooking.
3. Just before serving, stir in the fried garlic slices. If the sauce has gotten too thick and pasty, add a tablespoon or so of water. Taste and correct the seasoning, adding salt and pepper, and more sugar and lime juice if needed. The sauce should be richly flavored.

Potatoes In Coconut Milk

Peel potatoes, stab each a few times with a knife to let salt penetrate potatoes. Put in salted water and boil.

In separate pot, warm coconut milk. Add any spices you wish.

When potatoes are done, drain and pour coconut milk over 'em.

Sweet and savory, sooo good!

Note: You can puree the potatoes as in the photo, if you wish.

Warm Asian Potato Salad

Ingredients Serves 6 [cut down portions]
1 12 lbs fingerling potatoes
1 14 tsps salt
2 tbsps seasoned rice vinegar
2 tbsps olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil

1 red bell pepper (thinly sliced)
2 green onion (thinly sliced)
12 jalapeno pepper (seeded and minced)
12 cup cilantro leaf (loosed packed and coarsely chopped)

[You could also add bacon, black or white pepper, curry powder, yr fave hot sauce...]

--------------------------

1 Bring potatoes to a boil over high heat with 1 tsp salt added to water.
2 Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 to 12 minutes, or until potatoes are fork-tender. Drain.
3 In a serving bowl, whisk vinegar, olive oil, sesame oil and remaining ¼ teaspoons salt.
4 Stir in red pepper, green onion, jalapeño, and cilantro.
5 When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut each lengthwise in half.
6 Add potatoes to bowl with dressing and toss to coat.
7 Serve warm or at room temperature.

Wilted Spinach with Garlic

Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
* 1 pound spinach, washed and stemmed, or 1 pound Swiss chard, washed, stems sliced, leaves torn
* Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir until golden, about 30 seconds. Add greens in batches, if necessary, and toss until just wilted, 2 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Garlic-Cheese Grits

Ingredients

* 4 1/2 cups water
* 1 cup grits, quick or old-fashioned (not instant)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
* 1/2 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
* 1/2 cup grated sharp Italian cheese, such as Pecorino Romano or Parmesan
* 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or 1 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch-square baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Bring water, grits and salt to a boil in a large saucepan, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and simmer until the grits are thick, 5 to 30 minutes, depending on the type of grits.
3. Meanwhile, combine oil and garlic in a small skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the garlic is fragrant but not browned, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
4. Stir the oil and garlic into the grits along with the cheeses and cayenne (or hot sauce); transfer to the prepared pan.
5. Bake, uncovered, until bubbling and crusty on top, about 45 minutes.

Spanish Garlic Soup recipe

ingredients list:

10 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced.
5 cups of beef broth.
1 cup of dry sherry.
¼ cup of olive oil.
French bread, sliced and toasted.
Grated Parmesan cheese.
Salt and pepper.

Instructions

Sauté the garlic in the olive oil until it turns golden.

Heat the beef broth with sherry. When the broth reaches the boiling point, add garlic and the olive oil.

Season with salt and pepper to taste; then simmer for about 30 minutes.

Strain out the garlic and reheat.

Sprinkle toasted French bread slices generously with Parmesan cheese, then place them in a 425°F (220°C) oven for about 3-4 minutes.

Put the hot toast in the bottom of soup dishes; then pour the soup over top.

Garlic Potato Pie recipe

ingredients list:

1 lb of scrubbed boiling potatoes.
6 cloves fresh garlic, sliced finely.
1 cup of milk.
¼ cup of breadcrumbs.
3 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese.
3 tablespoons of butter.

Instructions 

Preheat your oven to 380°F (180°C).

Slice potatoes thinly.

Butter a 9-inch pie plate.

Arrange a layer of potatoes, garlic slices, parmesan and slices of butter.

Repeat using the rest of the ingredients (other than the milk), saving some of the cheese and the butter.

Heat the milk and pour over top of the potatoes.

Top with bread crumbs and remaining cheese and butter.

Bake for 1 hour, until the potatoes are tender and top has turned golden brown.

Cabbage and Garlic Soup recipe

ingredients list:

8 cups of chicken stock.
6 cups of shredded savoy cabbage.
1 cup of long-grain white rice.
3 tablespoons of minced garlic.
1 teaspoon of freshly-ground black pepper.
Salt, to taste.
6 croutons.
2 tablespoons of minced parsley, to garnish with.

Instructions 

In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the garlic, 2 cups of chicken stock and rice. Bring to a boil over moderate heat; cover, then reduce heat to maintain a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes.

Transfer to a blender or food processor; then add 4 cups of the stock and blend. Return to saucepan; add remaining 2 cups stock and cabbage. Simmer for 15 minutes over low heat. Add freshly ground black pepper and salt.

Place croutons in individual soup bowls and ladle soup over. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Garlic Pepper Sauce recipe

ingredients list:

2 cloves of garlic, minced.
2 tablespoons of olive oil.
1 teaspoon of red pepper, crushed.
1 teaspoon of dried parsley.

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a pan.

Saute the garlic and pepper in the olive oil until the garlic is golden.

Toss with parsley.

Serve as desired.

Garlic Mushrooms Recipe

Suitable for vegetarians
Garlic and mushrooms work so well together that garlic mushrooms is one of the classic dishes. Everyone has their own version of the recipe, I like to keep it simple. Who needs a creamy sauce when the garlic mushrooms themselves are so nice?

This garlic mushrooms recipe serves two as a side dish or as a starter if served with toast or garlic bruscetta.

Ingredients
See note on ingredients
8 oz (225 gm) Mushrooms This will look like a lot but they reduce considerably during cooking.
Use small button mushrooms if you can get them, otherwise flat mushrooms cut into bite sized pieces.
Chestnut mushrooms have a lovely flavour however ordinary white mushrooms will do just as well.
1/2 oz (15 gm) Butter
2 Cloves Garlic, crushed As always, adjust garlic according to taste
Dash hot pepper sauce If you really can't take this you can leave it out. However it does bring out the flavour wonderfully so do give it a try.
Salt & pepper
As usual I recommend using organic ingredients wherever possible.

Method
Wash and dry the mushrooms. Melt the butter in a small pan then add mushrooms and cook at a medium heat for a couple of minutes stirring constantly. Add the garlic, continue cooking & stirring for another minute or so. Stir in a dash of pepper sauce and season with just a touch of salt and pepper.

Reduce heat to absolute minimum then cover with a tight fitting lid. Leave the garlic mushrooms to sweat for at least ten minutes, stirring occasionally.

If you're serving these garlic mushrooms as a side dish they'll easily wait twenty minutes or more sweating on minimum whilst you finish off the rest of the meal.

Serve the garlic mushrooms with some of the gloriously wicked garlicky butter.

Garlic Mashed Potato Recipe

Suitable for vegetarians
Turning plain old mashed potato into glorious garlic mash is simplicity itself. In fact it's so simple it doesn't need a formal recipe - instead here are three simple methods to experiment with:

Mild Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Before boiling the potatoes, peel a couple of cloves of garlic. Add these to the water and boil with the potatoes. After draining, mash the garlic in to the potato. Because the garlic has been cooked with the potatoes it will be fairly mild and slightly sweet.

Really Garlicky Mashed Potatoes
If you're a real garlic lover then don't pre-cook the garlic. Instead, boil the potatoes as normal. Then after draining them crush a couple of cloves of garlic and mash this into the potatoes along with the usual milk / butter / cream you use.

Sophisticated Garlic Mash
If you have some spare time, then for the ultimate garlic mashed potatoes make up a batch of white garlic sauce. You can do this in advance, just warm it through a few minutes before the potatoes finish cooking. When the potatoes are boiled, drain and mash with the garlic sauce instead of the usual milk / butter / cream.

Garlic Mustard Pork Recipe

This easy garlic mustard sauce is also great with chicken as well as pork.

Mustards vary tremendously in strength, in particular English mustard is very hot. This garlic mustard pork recipe works best with a mustard that's tasy without being too fiery.

Ingredients
See note on ingredients
2 Pork Steaks Use whatever cut of pork suits you best, adjust cooking time if necessary
1/2 oz (15 gm) Butter
2 cloves Garlic, crushed As always, adjust quantities of garlic according to taste
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 glass White Wine
1/4 pint (140 ml) Chicken Stock
1 TBsp Wholegrain Mustard
1 TBsp Natural Yoghurt
Salt & pepper
As usual I recommend using organic ingredients wherever possible.

Method
Melt the butter in a pan with a little oil. Brown the pork lightly on both sides then remove and set aside.

Add the chopped onion and cook gently until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute or so.

Add the white wine, turn up the heat and reduce volume by about half.

Turn the heat back down, add the chicken stock and stir in the mustard, season with a little salt and plenty of pepper. Return the pork to the pan and cook uncovered at the lowest possible heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the pork to serving plates. If the sauce is still too thin for your taste then turn up the heat for a minute or two.

Remove the garlic mustard sauce from the heat, stir in the yoghurt and serve immediately with the pork, mashed potatoes and your favourite veg.

Wow....this looks Great!!!

Woah, that's what you call a movie!

wow, so shocked you never heard of this nowas it had a somewhat publicised release a year or two ago when it was "discovered" & the director has been taking it around to theaters, etc...i found 2LPs (one regular & one picture disc) of this insane flice in the late 80s & searched for years & years, finally deciding it was a fake soundtrack....when the film started being shown i flipped out completely, also learning that they were a real LA band, AND finally going to see it, realizing tat my old pal, record dealer delux, radio dhow host & fellow Garagepunk pal here on this site Dick Blackburn is one of the stars of the film!!!! that totally fucked me up (he had produced/written some awesome films before this). but don't tell him i told you so! hahaha...

A friend posted this trailer on Facebook today. Looks like it's coming on TCM in the wee hours of March 30. Why have I never seen this before?

a pickled garlic recipe:

Get one of those 2-liter jars of peeled garlic (try Korean markets or Restaurant supply places) and fill it with your most-used hot sauce (I used Valentina, cuz it's cheap and has that vinegar bite that I love). Contrary to what I expected, while the result was both hot and garlicky, it was rather mild (after about 1 or 2 months), to the point where I could pop them in my mouth as appetizers! The left-over hot sauce is now garlic-infused. Cool, huh?