Ah, I love the taste of garlic. I also adore the sent of the
stinking rose. If you are anywhere in the South Valley and unable
to make it to the upcoming Garlic Festival, there is no need to
fear.
Ah, I love the taste of garlic. I also adore the sent of the stinking rose. If you are anywhere in the South Valley and unable to make it to the upcoming Garlic Festival, there is no need to fear.
Your sense of smell will be tantalized and teased as the aromas of the festival rise over Gilroy and dance among the hills and valley floor. If your taste buds are in need of a good garlic workout, I have a great grilling sauce that is inspired by an Italian-American favorite.
I always think of garlic as one of the flavors that can stand up to the bold cooking methods of the grill. Even with the smoky flavor of grilling, garlic is a worthy flavor competitor.
The heat of the grill serves as a flavor enhancement by roasting the garlic right onto the meat. Heating the garlic until it begins to caramelize develops an extra dimension of sweetness too.
One of the best ways to add a great garlic flavor to just about any grilled item is through a sauce. The garlic in a sauce is dispersed, so the flavor imparted by the garlic may be subtle to robust, depending upon the quantity used.
Depending upon the griller, they may choose to use a sauce with marinade or basting techniques. I usually prefer both methods with the sauce I am featuring this week.
For many years, Italian Americans have kept a very guarded secret about a very good sauce. Until now, not many people have heard about a sauce called “amogio.”
Used on many grilled and indirectly cooked items, amogio brings together many traditional Italian flavors into one glorious and flavorful sauce.
Traditionally, amogio is made from a combination of an acid and oil along with garlic and other simple herbs and seasonings. Many use a large quantity of lemon juice, sometimes a little wine, and balance these flavors with olive oil.
These are fantastic flavors, but the traditional version as well as its technique will have to wait until a future edition of Mixed Grill.
The featured amogio this week continues to use olive oil, but in honor of the Garlic Festival, more garlic than usual is used. For the acid component in this version, I like to use white balsamic vinegar.
Much like many inexpensive balsamic vinegars, white balsamic is not true balsamic vinegar. It consists of white wine and grape must. The addition of the grape must to the wine vinegar is what imparts the flavor of true aged balsamic vinegar.
Unlike many American barbecue sauces, there isn’t any cooking involved in making amogio. In fact, it is very quick and simple to make. Garlic and the white balsamic vinegar are added to a blender along with the other seasonings.
Once this mixture has been processed, olive oil is slowly poured into the blender while it is on. This emulsifies the mixture, forcing the vinegar and olive oil to mix.
This process also slightly thickens the amogio and gives it a somewhat white appearance.
This version of amogio is great used as a marinade or as a basting sauce while cooking. It is well suited for chicken, fish or grilled vegetables.
Chicken and vegetables can stand up to a large quantity of the sauce. Unless a strong flavored fish is used, you may want to use the sauce a little more sparingly.
If you are unable to attend the Gilroy Garlic Festival this year, this sauce is a fantastic substitute for the experience.
White garlic amogio sauce
(From Mitch Mariani; Yield about 3/4 cup of sauce)
1 small to medium size bulb of garlic (12-14 cloves), peeled
1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
Step 1: Add the garlic, white balsamic vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper to a blender. Cover the blender jar with its lid and pulse on medium speed 3 or 4 times.
Step 2: With the blender on high speed, slowly add the olive oil to the mixture in the jar. When all the olive oil is added, allow the blender to run for an additional few seconds.
Step 3: Use the sauce as a marinade or brush on your favorite grilled meal for a great finishing touch. The sauce may be continuously basted on your meat or vegetable while they are grilling. Extra sauce may be frozen for up to two weeks.
