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| A pretty snow day earlier this week |
My mother was especially sensitive to spices. She avoided allspice, fennel seeds, and pepper. I don’t think my dad had such aversions to spice, but they both used garlic sparingly in their cooking, and I didn’t develop a taste for it. It’s possible I never would have. I don’t care for garlic, but I’m not the only one living here, and Mike enjoys his meat more highly seasoned than I do.
Frankly, I prefer that we season our meat ourselves, but I had two of those pre-seasoned cylindrical pork roasts in the freezer, and on a nice Sunday – months ago now – Mike decided to grill one. During brother Chuck’s regular Sunday call, I confided that I wasn’t looking forward to the evening’s meal. Too much garlic for me.
As we sat down to that meal, Mike said, “I’m afraid you aren’t going to like this.”
“I KNOW I’m not going to like it,” I replied pointedly, and I was right! To me, it tasted like it had been infused with eucalyptus and garlic – a medicinal flavor. I ate one piece of meat and completed my meal with plenty of mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables.
It's not only the flavor of garlic but the smell to which I am averse, especially when it comes from the fridge. The odor of cold garlic is an assault on my senses, so I triple wrapped the leftover roast in foil before setting it in the fridge, but it wasn’t enough. The next morning, Mike opened the fridge and commented that we might want to put the meat in a plastic bag, which he did.
With plenty of leftover roast on hand, I googled how to tone down the garlic. Others had wondered the same thing, and I found plenty of ideas. Cook it more, add an acid, and add brown sugar were a few of the suggestions, so I sliced the meat, drenched it in barbecue sauce with added brown sugar, and cooked it for several hours on high in a Crock Pot. I couldn’t tell it made any difference. The garlic came through loud and strong. I choked down half a sandwich with two little slices of meat.
Then only half the roast was left. Would it never go away?
“Tonight’s the last night for that roast,” I announced.
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| Rain and melting snow today |
A barbecued sandwich was just fine, Mike said, so I sliced the remaining meat, mixed barbecue sauce, brown sugar, AND vinegar and put it in the Crock Pot on low for five hours. Foodie Bess was surprised that I shared so generously as I prepared the meat. “One for the pot, one for Bess; one for the pot, one for Bess.” But no, the additional concoction and cooking didn’t help. Mike again enjoyed a whole sandwich with plenty of meat while I choked down a half with a slice or two.
What about you? Do you use garlic? KW
I'm not a big spice person, but I do like a little garlic. I have a reaction to oregano and tarragon so I can't eat them at all. I don't like spicy as in hot, like hot sauce and hot peppers.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Chris. I enjoy garlic salt on meat, but that doesn't have that much garlic in it. I prefer onion, such as onion salt, onion powder, etc., as a flavor enhancer, such as with eggs and some meat sandwiches. Joanne goes for more tomatoey flavors, which I don't care much for.
ReplyDeleteYour snow looks quite impressive. Maybe it will start going away slowly, as spring approaches.
Hi Chris! I wonder if it bothers you to eat pizza. You'd think pizza would have some oregano.
ReplyDeleteAnd Chuck -- Does Joanne use ketchup? I had a friend, quite a proper person, who put ketchup on everything. And I know that Italian salad dressing is Joanne's favorite.
Our mother used to make slits in a lamb roast and push in a few cloves of garlic. She roasted it with rice. I thought it was delicious. Back in the day, we ate lamb fairly often, but we don't see it any more.
Oh! The snow will be gone in another day or two. Our highs are in the 40s, but the lows may still dip into the 20s.
Yes, Joanne uses a lot of ketchup. On eggs, meat, pasta, everything. At least she doesn't cook with it too often. Just enough to make me notice.
ReplyDeleteMy proper friend used to brown ground beef, add cooked spaghetti, and mix with ketchup. I thought it was pretty good, but I've never had the courage to serve it to my family. Joanne would probably love it!
ReplyDeleteYes, I have trouble with some pizza. Pizza Hut uses a lot of oregano so it's always out for me, but most other places I'm okay. I do always ask.
ReplyDeleteWe start most soups with onion and a couple cloves of minced garlic (and celery, if called for). I don't think the garlic really comes through this way, but I imagine benefitting from its properties. Nick likes garlic and I can handle it okay unless it's so strong that I can still taste it the next morning. THAT is one of the worst sensations to me. It's like being trapped in my own body, unable to escape the garlic.
ReplyDeleteYes, garlic will linger on the breath where it is most unpleasant for all concerned -- another reason I avoid it.
ReplyDeleteMie and I don't care for raw onion either, but we do season some cooked dishes with it. I sautee it first if I think it won't cook enough in the end product.
I love garlic!! And most all seasonings. :) I'm not real picky especially if someone else is cooking. Haha
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