Roasted Head Of Garlic Offers Milder Taste In The Pilaf

Reader wonders if head of garlic is a clove or the whole thing.

Roasted head of garlic offers milder taste in this pilaf Dear Laura: In December, The Spokesman-Review printed a recipe for garlic pilaf that called for 12 heads garlic, mixed whole into the stew. Does this mean the same as cloves or is it referring to the whole garlic bulb? If it means the whole bulb, how is it prepared? Thank you for your assistance. - Ann, Newman Lake.

Dear Ann: Usually the term “head of garlic” refers to the entire bulb and contains multiple cloves. To cook whole, remove only the loose layers of outer papery covering, leaving root area and inner “peels” intact. Add to recipe and cook as directed or place in a greased baking dish and roast at 325 degrees for about 1 hour until tender when pierced. When cooked in a broth with other foods, a mild garlic flavor permeates the dish.

After cooking, the garlic pulp will be mild and slightly sweet. To eat or add to a dish, remove from heat, allow to cool slightly, then pick off individual cloves and squeeze the contents over the food. The pulp of whole roast garlic is especially good served over meats, vegetables, crackers or hearty breads.

Dear Laura: I have several venison roasts in my freezer. I’m a new cook and this is my first experience with venison. I can’t identify which part of the animal they were cut from. How do I know whether to cook them by a moist or dry-heat method? Could you tell me how to cook and season them? - Marcia, Post Falls.

Dear Marcia: Unless you know a venison roast is from the tenderloin area, moist cookery is the best choice. If your family is fond of the gamy flavor of wild meats, season simply with salt, pepper and/or a little garlic and onion, then add some liquid - water, wine, broth or vegetable juice. Cover and roast at 350 degrees or place in a slow cooker, until tender.

If you prefer to moderate and camouflage the gamy flavor, remove bone and as much fat as possible, then season generously as in the following recipes. These recipes are adapted from Joan Cone’s book, “Fish and Game Cooking.” This cookbook has been in my collection for a number of years and is not readily available in bookstores.

If you don’t keep onion soup mix on hand, substitute cup chopped fresh onion and 1 tablespoon beef bouillon powder for each half package of the soup mix.

Venison Pot Roast with Horseradish Sauce

2 to 3 pound venison roast

1/2 package onion soup mix

1/2 can beer

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 peppercorns or 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Horseradish Sauce:

1/3 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

2 teaspoons vinegar

Salt and cayenne pepper, to taste

Trim, rinse and pat dry venison roast. Place in a deep roasting pan and pierce several times on each side with a long-tined cooking fork. Combine remaining ingredients. Stir mixture with a wooden or plastic (not metal) utensil. Pour over the prepared roast. Cover and marinate in refrigerator at least three hours (overnight if possible), turning occasionally.

When ready to cook, cover with foil or place in an oven cooking bag and roast at 350 degrees until tender, about 1 hours.

Meanwhile, to prepare sauce, beat cream until stiff. Fold in the horseradish, vinegar, salt and cayenne. Taste, adjust seasoning and refrigerate until needed.

When meat is tender, slice and serve with horseradish sauce. If desired, juices may be thickened for a flavorful gravy.

Spicy Venison Roast

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

4 to 5 pound venison roast

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 envelope onion soup mix

1/4 cup sugar

1 cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon anise seed, optional

1/2 cup sherry

Melt butter in a large Dutch oven or a similar deep cooking pot at medium high heat (375 degrees if using an electric pot). Add meat and brown on all sides.

Combine remaining ingredients and pour over meat. Cover, bring to boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook three to four hours or until meat is fork-tender.

If desired, sauce may be thickened with a flour and water paste to make gravy.

Dear Laura: We are looking for a recipe my husband’s grandmother made. It is lefsa, and uses mashed potatoes. If you have this in your files, we would appreciate a copy of it. Thank you. - Helen, Spokane.

Dear Helen: There are many versions of lefsa (also spelled lefse). This one, made with instant potatoes, comes from a friend of mine who makes and sends it to her children and grandchildren each year for Thanksgiving.

Lois’ Lefsa

2 2/3 cups water

2/3 cup milk

1/2 cup margarine or butter

2 teaspoons salt

2 2/3 cups potato buds or instant potato flakes (dry)

Flour

Heat water, milk, margarine and salt together, just to boiling. Remove from heat and stir in dry potato buds or flakes. Allow to cool.

When cool, stir in 1 cup flour, then turn out onto a wellfloured board and knead, adding just enough flour for handling. Form into a cylinder-shaped roll and slice off rounds (about -inch thick or equivalent of cup if making 5- to 6-inch lefsa). Roll into paper-thin rounds - as thin as you can get and still handle in size to fit your pan. (Lois uses a saucepan lid to cut smooth rounds.)

Bake quickly on a hot, dry grill or griddle over medium to medium-high heat, turning only once when bubbles and brown spots appear. Cooked lefsa should have light brown spots on each side. Cool between cloth towels to maintain moisture.

Cook’s notes: If potato mixture is not adequately cooled before adding flour, mixture will be pasty. Cook lefsa rounds as quickly as possible without burning. They’ll be tough if cooked too slowly.

Yield: About 10 (5-inch) lefsa

MEMO: “The Cook’s Notebook” appears regularly in the IN Food section. Laura Carnie, certified home economist and food consultant, welcomes comments and questions from readers. Write to: The Cook’s Notebook, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Laura Carnie The Spokesman-Review