Onion and Garlic

In the south of France, comes June and tresses of new garlic and young onions grace the markets. Intermixed with oregano, sage, laurel, thyme and rosemary sprigs they offer a selection of aromatics to pick from in the winter. Once bought, they hang to dry in the kitchen and pantries. Used when they are still fresh, they impart a fresh and tangy flavor to the simplest fare. Garlic and onions belong to the same lily family (Alliaceae) and are a gift from Central Asia. They were first cultivated 6000 years ago. In the sixteenth century the popularity of the onion is much greater in the northern part of Europe. The reverse is true for garlic. Hence the northern onion soup gives place to the traditional southern garlic soup or aigo boulido. Festivals devoted to garlic, notably in Gilroy, California are witness to the growing commercial importance of the plant in the new world: the state is the largest exporter. Shallots born in Escalon (Palestine) chives, which grow naturally on all continents and leeks, are all relatives of the alliums. They brighten the garden with their deep emerald green foliages.
Garlic’s lore prescribes its usage to fight vampires, the black Pest and, somewhat anticlimactically the common cold. There is some scientific sense behind the myth. The clove contains zinc, manganese, sulfur, vitamins A, B and C. It has antiseptic and bactericide properties as does the onion. It is the syn-propanethial S oxide born from a chain reaction caused by the release of sulfur in the air when the onion is sliced that causes our tears. The antidote is to wear total eye protection contact lenses or goggles. If one is not lucky enough to be short sighted, or bold enough to be ridiculous, water is your ally: freeze the onion for 10 minutes prior to using it, or peel it under water. To digest garlic, it is better to either cook it or crush it.
The following recipes, two soups, a garlicky mayonnaise (aioli) a roasted chicken, and an onion tart, the Belgium “flamiche”, which can either include onions or leeks, are true to the north/south geographical divide between garlic and onion, butter and oil and serve four. The aigo boulido, or literally boiling water is a good remedy for an ailing digestion and the beginning of a cold. The onion soup is a Paris bistro classic. Night revelers since the nineteenth century advertise its reparative properties.

Aigo Boulido

Ingredients:
3 garlic cloves
4 sage leaves, 1 sprig each of thyme and rosemary
Yolk of an egg
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups (1000 ml) water

Material:
Saucepan
Soup tureen
Whip
Strainer

Hold the flat blade of a knife over each unpeeled clove and strike the blade with the fist of the other hand. The clove will be crushed and can be easily separated from its skin. Repeat three times.
Place the crushed and peeled cloves, the washed sage leaves, thyme, rosemary and the olive oil in the saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Strain the soup.
In the tureen, place the yolk and pour slowly the strained liquid while whipping.

Onion Soup or the reveler salve

Ingredients:
2 cups (1000 ml) chicken or beef broth
6 medium onions
1 glass (8 oz or 112 ml) of dry white wine
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup grated Gruyere
4 pieces of country bread

Material:
1 saucepan
4 ovenproof soup bowl

Freeze the onions for 10 minutes or place them under water to peel and mince them.
Melt the butter in the saucepan over low heat. Add the sliced onions to soften for three to five minutes. Add the broth and the wine. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven at 360F (180C) grill function on.
Pour the broth with the onions in 4 bowls. Cover with a piece of bread sprinkled with Gruyere, and bake for 15 minutes.
Serve hot.

Aioli (Garlic mayonnaise)

Ingredients:
6 garlic cloves
Salt
1 cup (250 ml) olive oil
Juice (about a tablespoon) of a lemon
Yolk of an egg

Material:
1 bowl
1 garlic press
Eggbeater

Using the garlic press, make a garlic paste and place it in the bowl. Add the salt, the egg yolk and the lemon. Start beating with the eggbeater.
Add the oil drop by drop until the mayonnaise takes. Add the rest of the oil in a continuous stream while beating afterwards. Keep the sauce in a temperate fridge until ready to use.
Traditionally aioli is served as a companion sauce to steamed white fish fillet served cold, boiled vegetables such as artichokes, sweet potatoes, carrots string beans and mollusk such as whelks.
If the aioli is too liquid, take another yolk and use the liquid mayonnaise as you would the olive oil. You will get a firm aioli.

Ali Baba cocotte chicken

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
Whole chicken
40 unpeeled garlic cloves
Sprigs of thyme, laurel, sage and rosemary
Salt and Pepper
To seal the cocotte: flour and water paste

Material:
Ovenproof cocotte

Lower the grill to make place for the cocotte and preheat the oven at 420F (270C)
Oil the cocotte. Dispose the herbs and the garlic cloves on the bottom. Empty the chicken cavity, keeping only the liver. Add salt and pepper and thyme inside the cavity. Place the chicken inside the cocotte. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Close the cocotte and seal it hermetically using a mixture of flour and water paste.
Bake in the oven for an hour. Toast some bread slices and toss a green salad
Break the seal, discard the herbs and carve the chicken. Place the chicken surrounded by the forty cloves on a serving platter. Encourage your guest to spread the peeled garlic cloves on the toasts and to eat along with the chicken and salad.
This cooking method keeps the meat tender and juicy and the skin crisp.

Belgium onion tart: Flamiche

Ingredients:
For the crust (reminder see post of May 22)
1 stick of butter (113g)
1 cup of flour (226f)
1 teaspoon salt
4 to 8 oz iced water
For the garnish:
Béchamel
1/3 cup flour
2 tablespoons butter
1cup milk
Nutmeg freshly grated
Salt and pepper to taste
Top layer
4 onions peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon butter

Thick slice bacon diced

Material:
Food processor, pie blade in
Cookie sheet covered with parchment paper
Rolling pin
Saucepan
Wooden spoon
Strainer
Blender
Rubber spoon

Crust:
Cut the butter in small pieces. Place the flour, salt and butter in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse until the content resemble coarse meal. Add a little iced water while you run the food processor. When a ball forms, stop the machine.
Gather the dough in a plastic bag and refrigerate the dough you need for an hour.
After that time roll out the dough on a parchment paper using a rolling pin. Place the dough and parchment paper on the cookie sheet.
Preheat the oven at 420F (210C).

Garnish:
Béchamel
Put the butter to melt in the saucepan on the low settings of the stove. Strain the flour over the saucepan, stirring butter and flour together. Add the milk and bring to a boil. Do not worry about the lumps.
Pour the lumpy mixture in the blender and run progressively to high. You will obtain a smooth béchamel in minutes. Remove from the blender with the rubber spoon.
You will obtain one cup of béchamel
Spread the béchamel evenly on the dough.
Top layer
Sauté the onion in the butter on low heat for about 4 minutes. Spread evenly on top of the béchamel. Sprinkle the bacon bits on top.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Serve hot.
Think of this recipe as a series of building blocks. I always keep homemade frozen dough (pizza and piecrust). It has two advantages: the thawed dough rolls out to a thinner crust and it saves time. Do not forget to move the frozen dough from the freezer to the fridge at least 6 hours before using it. The rest takes about 30 minutes all included, to whip up.