Chicken With 40 Cloves of Garlic

( Sun photo by Kate Shatzkin / April 10, 2008 )

The classic 40 Cloves of Garlic recipe is also good for helping use up any excess garlic before it goes bad. In these economic times, who can afford to let food go to waste?

(serves 8)
2/3 cup olive oil
8 chicken drumsticks and 8 thighs (or 16 of either)
4 ribs celery, cut into long strips
2 medium onions, chopped
6 sprigs parsley
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 cup dry vermouth or white wine
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, pinch nutmeg, 40 cloves garlic, unpeeled
French bread for serving

Put the oil in a shallow dish, add the chicken pieces, and turn them to coat all sides evenly with the oil.

Cover the bottom of a heavy 6-quart casserole pan with a mixture of the celery and onions. Add the parsley and tarragon, and lay the chicken pieces on top. Pour the vermouth or wine over them, sprinkle with salt and pepper, add nutmeg, and tuck the garlic cloves around and between the chicken pieces.

Cover the top of the casserole tight with aluminum foil and then put the lid on the pan (this creates an airtight seal so the steam won't escape). Bake in a 375-degree oven for 1 1/2 hours, without removing the cover.

Serve the chicken, pan juices and whole garlic cloves with thin slices of heated French bread or toast. The garlic should be squeezed from the root end of its papery husk onto the bread or toast, spread like butter and eaten with the chicken.

--Adapted from "Epicurean Delight, the Life and Times of James Beard," by Evan Jones, reprinted on leitesculinaria.com

Per serving: 462 calories, 31 grams protein, 33 grams fat, 7 grams saturated fat, 9 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fiber, 105 milligrams cholesterol, 859 milligrams sodium