I have never been able to duplicate at home the rich garlic flavor
that I get when I visit my favorite Italian restaurant. I enjoy the
shrimp pasta which has a really intense garlic and herb sauce. At home
I will prepare 6 to 8 cloves, finely chopped and sauté in butter then
add some fresh herbs but cant quite get there. Is there a method in
preparation, maybe someone has some tricks to share. Many thanks...

"Roland" > wrote in message
om...
> I have never been able to duplicate at home the rich garlic flavor
> that I get when I visit my favorite Italian restaurant. I enjoy the
> shrimp pasta which has a really intense garlic and herb sauce. At home
> I will prepare 6 to 8 cloves, finely chopped and sauté in butter then
> add some fresh herbs but cant quite get there. Is there a method in
> preparation, maybe someone has some tricks to share. Many thanks...

6 to 8 cloves sounds like a nice amount to my way of eating. When you saute
the garlic are you keeping the heat low so you're not toasting it?
Otherwise, do you think that your local ristorante is really adding a lot of
garlic, something of the order of double what you're adding?

Jack Ajo

Roland wrote:

> I have never been able to duplicate at home the rich garlic flavor
> that I get when I visit my favorite Italian restaurant. I enjoy the
> shrimp pasta which has a really intense garlic and herb sauce. At home
> I will prepare 6 to 8 cloves, finely chopped and sauté in butter then
> add some fresh herbs but cant quite get there. Is there a method in
> preparation, maybe someone has some tricks to share. Many thanks...

This may sound strange but the only time I get that overpowering garlic
flavor is when I use a mandoline to slice the cloves paper thin... Even
when I crush and finely mince a clove the garlic still doesn't have that
"taste it in the morning" pungency (which may or may not be a good thing)...

A good basic Garlic-Herb Sauce is pretty simple to make... just melt
some butter over medium heat in a 10"-12" fry pan... once butter is
melted and has taken on a nice rich brown color toss in some thin slices
of garlic and finely chiffonaded sage... remove from heat... cook pasta
(perciatelli or fresh orecchiette is my pasta of choise for this)...
then place the fry pan back over medium-high heat and squeeze half a
lemon into the pan... toss pasta for 1-2 minutes to coat... at this
point you can add shredded parmesan cheese and a little pasta water (if
you're not planning on adding seafood)... If shrimp is what you're after
skip the cheese and pasta water and add about a half a cup of dry white
wine... cook the shrimp in the sauce until pink then add the pasta and a
sprinkle of red pepper flakes and toss... serve immediately...

~john!

Roland wrote:
>
> I have never been able to duplicate at home the rich garlic flavor
> that I get when I visit my favorite Italian restaurant. I enjoy the
> shrimp pasta which has a really intense garlic and herb sauce. At home
> I will prepare 6 to 8 cloves, finely chopped and sauté in butter then
> add some fresh herbs but cant quite get there. Is there a method in
> preparation, maybe someone has some tricks to share. Many thanks...

I don't know if this will do it but I use a mortar and pestle. Place the whole
garlic cloves in the mortar, add a bit of salt (keeps the cloves from jumping
out) and grind them until it looks like a paste with no texture.

Garlic tastes stronger the more you abuse it. Chopped garlic tastes mild.
Crushed garlic tastes much stronger to the point that some people find it
objectionable.

Bert

On 3 Nov 2003 15:21:56 -0800, (Roland)
wrote:

>I have never been able to duplicate at home the rich garlic flavor
>that I get when I visit my favorite Italian restaurant. I enjoy the
>shrimp pasta which has a really intense garlic and herb sauce. At home
>I will prepare 6 to 8 cloves, finely chopped and sauté in butter then
>add some fresh herbs but cant quite get there. Is there a method in
>preparation, maybe someone has some tricks to share. Many thanks...

Put some finely minced garlic in near the end, so it doesn't get as
completely cooked as what went in earlier.



Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a

"WooWooism lives" Anon grafitto on the base of the Cuttyhunk breakwater light