Quick and Easy - L'ail confit (garlic confit)

L'ail confit (garlic "con-fee") just in time for a change of seasons, even though handy any time of year. It's the "Quick and Easy" way of handling garlic and using it immediately in a large variety of recipes...

L'ail confit (garlic confit) 

1 cup fresh garlic cloves, peeled
Thyme sprigs (or Herbes de Provence)
2 bay leaves
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt & peppercorns to taste
Red pepper flakes (optional)

Place all ingredients in a sauce pan and cover with oil. Bring to a slight simmer over low, low heat and cook until the garlic is golden, do not brown, approximately 40 minutes. Allow garlic and olive oil to come to room temperature while in sauce pan. Remove bay leaves and puree if you like. Keeps well in refrigerator.

As pictured I use an enamel camp cup, more vertical than horizontal. Makes for an easy move from stove top to storage in refrigerator. 

Garlic confit has a smooth cooked taste making it perfect for salad dressings, sauces, soups and marinades...

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Jalapeños (haul-a-pen-yos) have gotten so mild north of the Rio Grande they seem to have found a permanent place on top of pizza, McDonald's burgers and along side Italian yellow peperoncini peppers at Subway sandwich shops. 

On the home front, I've been using them fresh to replace bell peppers in many recipes (like ratatouille, etc). And I really like that they are easy on the pocketbook. At a third of the cost, they bring an interesting and surprising twist to many of my usual Autumn dishes. This morning with food processor at the ready, I made a "Pico de Gallo" Hot Sauce. Heavy on the jalapeños this time and the results came out wonderfully delicious and without the lip scorching heat!

Using the food processor I buzzed the ingredients one-by-one and placed them in a serving bowl to be combined later by hand with a large spoon...

• 8 medium jalapeños

• 1 small onion

• 2 cloves of garlic minced

• Juice of one lime

• Pinch of oregano

• Pinch of ground cumin

• Salt and pepper to taste

I grated a large juicy garden tomato with a box grater, And hit it all with salt and pepper then stirred to combine all ingredients. No better way to test salsa then with fresh quesadillas straight off the griddle...