French Series : Ail confit

The More Loving One by W.H. Auden

Looking up at the stars, I know quite well
That, for all they care, I can go to hell,
But on earth indifference is the least
We have to dread from man or beast.

How should we like it were stars to burn
With a passion for us, we could not return?
If equal affection cannot be,Let the more loving one be me.

Admirer as I think I am
Of stars that do not give a damn,
I cannot, now I see them, say
I missed one terribly all day.

Were all stars to disappear or die,
I should learn to look at an empty sky
And feel its total dark sublime,
Though this might take me a little time.

I have never been able to keep garlic for long (if you have any tips, please share them) so when my neighbour gave me a huge wicker basket full of garlic back in October, I knew I had to find a way to use a lot of it and I made a batch of this confit. It has since become one of my favourite recipes.

I usually keep the oil in a glass bottle to cook veggies (it's so fragrant!) and blend the garlic cloves to make a creamy spread that you can serve as an apéritif (starter) with different kinds of crackers. You can also keep the cloves in the cooking oil and use them in your everyday cooking (hummus, cooked veggies, salads...)

Ail confit
(végétalien, sans céréales)

30 garlic cloves
25 cl extra-virgin olive oil (or enough to cover cloves)
3 sage leaves
5 juniper berries
1 Piri piri or Tabasco pepper

Peel the garlic cloves and place them in a small saucepan (preferably thick-bottomed) along with the sage, juniper and pepper. Cover with enough oil, bring to the boil and then let simmer on low heat for 45 minutes (the oil must not boil). Let cool and transfer into a jar (that you have sterilised in boiling water before). The confit keeps 3 to 4 weeks in the fridge. If you decide to make garlic cream (and you can do so by blending cloves with a little salt), it will only keep a few days (but will be gone quickly).




Ail confit
(végétalien, sans céréales)

30 gousses d'ail
25 cl d'huile d'olive extra-vierge (ou assez pour recouvrir l'ail)
3 feuilles de sauge
5 baies de genévrier
1 piment oiseau

Peler les gousses d'ail et les mettre dans une petite casserole à fond épais avec la sauge, le genévrier et le piment. Recouvrir d'huile, laisser frémir, baisser le feu et laisser mijoter à feu très doux (il ne faut pas que ça bout) pendant 45 minutes. 

Laisser refroidir puis transférer dans un bocal préalablement stérilisé dans de l'eau bouillante pendant quelques minutes.

Le confit se garde dans l'huile 3 semaine - 1 mois au réfrigérateur. Si vous décidez d'en faire une crème, elle ne se conservera que quelques jours (mais se mange plus vite!).