A Finger (Gar) Lickin’ Good Recipe Wins The Garlic Crown

The aroma of garlic filled the air as I approached Gilroy, an agricultural town in California, better known as the Garlic Capital of the World. Every summer for the past 36 years, the community of Gilroy throws one heck of a party by welcoming over 100,000 guests each year from all over the country, and even from Europe, to its renowned Gilroy Garlic Festival, recognized now as one of the world’s greatest summer food fairs.

Over 4,000 volunteers orchestrate the setting for its piece de resistance garlicky food, including, would you believe, a garlic ice cream, as well as cooking demonstrations and competitions, and arts and crafts activities for kids and teens. With live entertainment on three stages – this is a three-day fun and appetizing gourmet festivity for the entire family.

“The Gilroy Garlic Festival was established to provide benefits to local worthy charities and non-profit groups by promoting the community of Gilroy through a quality celebration of garlic,” says Vito Mercado, President of the 2014 Gilroy Garlic Festival. “And over the last 36 years, the Gilroy Garlic Festival has given back to our community over $10 million.”

If you love garlic like I love garlic, you will be relieved to know that the distinguished judges at this year’s Gilroy Garlic Cook-Off Competition have reached, with no visible food-fight among them, their final verdict by selecting the aspiring chef (drum roll, please!) Suzanne Clark from Phoenix, Arizona, as this year’s winner.

Ms. Clark claimed the coveted garlic crown – and a $5,000 cash prize, for her super aromatically delicious dish of “Sarsaparilla Glazed Wild West Burgers and Southwest Sweet Potatoes.” The contestants were required to use at least six cloves of garlic in their dishes, but Clark’s winning recipe included a total of 25 cloves of fresh garlic. Is anyone surprised she won?

“Although there are several steps to this recipe, don’t be intimidated – it’s really quite easy to pull together and is sure to wrangle your taste buds with a sweet and spicy garlic kick!” concludes Ms. Clark.

Here’s her winning recipe:

Sarsaparilla Glazed Wild West Burgers and Southwest Sweet Potatoes

Sarsaparilla Glaze

4 teaspoons of butter

2/3 cup of shallots

4 cups of Sarsaparilla soda (root beer can be substituted)

1/8 cup of balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon of corn starch

In a large cast iron skillet, add butter and shallots. Cook over medium heat until shallots soften, about 2–3 minutes. Stir in sarsaparilla, vinegar, and corn starch. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook until reduced to about 1 cup and mixture is thick and syrupy. Remove Sarsaparilla Glaze from heat and reserve until needed.

 

Wrangler Relish

2/3 cup of water

2/3 cup of cider vinegar

1/4 cup of brown sugar

1 tablespoon of pickling spice, wrapped in cheese cloth

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 of a sweet onion

14 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

1 cup of diced jicama

1 poblano or Anaheim pepper, cut in half

1/2 of a red bell pepper

1 ear of corn

In a medium size saucepan, add water, vinegar, brown sugar, pickling spice, and salt. Bring mixture to a boil. Cut onion into thin rings, then cut into bite size pieces and add to boiling mixture along with the sliced garlic. Cook for 10 minutes, then remove from heat and add jicama. Let relish sit for at least 30 minutes or more to pickle. Brush peppers and corn lightly with vegetable oil. Place on medium high grill or in a 400 degree oven.

Roast peppers and corn until lightly charred, 3–4 minutes on each side on grill, or about 20 minutes in oven. Remove charred skin on peppers and dice. Remove corn from the cob. Drain off liquid, and add roasted vegetables to relish right before serving.

Cowboy Sauce

2/3 cup of good quality mayonnaise

2 cloves of crushed garlic

1 chipotle pepper packed in adobo sauce, finely diced

2 teaspoons of lime zest

Combine mayo, garlic, chipotle and lime zest in a small bowl. Refrigerate until needed.

Southwestern Sweet Potatoes

12 slices of thick cut peppered bacon

2^1/2 tablespoons of smoked paprika

2 teaspoons of ancho chili powder

2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon of sea salt

2 tablespoons of sugar

1/8 cup of vegetable oil

3 cups of peeled and diced sweet potatoes

1/2 cup of diced onion

1/2 cup of diced red pepper

5 cloves of minced garlic

1/4 cup diced fresh parsley

Place bacon on a rack fitted on a cooking sheet. In a small bowl, combine smoked paprika, chili powder, cinnamon, salt and sugar.

Line another baking sheet with foil and add oil, sweet potatoes, onions, and bell peppers. Place both pans into a preheated 400 degree oven. Remove bacon when crispy, about 20 minutes. Remove sweet potatoes after 30 minutes. Stir, and add garlic. Return to oven for an additional 10 minutes or until edges of potatoes start to brown. Toss in fresh parsley.

Wild West Burgers

1^1/2 pounds of ground bison (buffalo)

1/2 pound of loose ground Mexican pork chorizo sausage

1 teaspoon of salt

4 cloves of crushed garlic

3 diced green onions

6 onion buns; split in half

In a large mixing bowl combine bison, chorizo, salt, garlic and green onion. Gently mix ingredients together. Divide into six portions and form into patties a little larger than burger bun. Brush grill grate with oil, and place patties on grill. (Patties can also be cooked in a cast iron pan on a stove top.) Cook for about 5 minutes on each side, or until meat is cooked through. Remove patties, and place into skillet with Sarsaparilla Glaze, coating patties well with mixture.

To assemble burgers, place 2 slices of crispy bacon followed by the patty on bottom portion of bun. Drizzle on any extra sauce that remains in the pan. Next place a portion of the Wrangler Relish on top of patty. Generously cover top portion of bun with Cowboy Sauce and place on top of burger. Serve with Southwest Sweet Potatoes!

Serves 6

Bon Appétit!

The Cook-Off judges were as follows:

Jason Gronlund – VP of Culinary at Smokey Bones in Orlando, FL

Evelyn Miliate – Chef of Raley’s, Bel Air and Nob Hill Foods

Majid Bahriny – Owner of Mama Mia’s Restaurants in the Bay Area

Adam Sanchez – Owner of The Milias Restaurant of Gilroy, the 2001 Cook-Off winner

Jason Lavinsky – Executive Chef, Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf

See you next year at the 37th Annual Gilroy Garlic Festival which will be held July 24, 25, and 26, 2015, at Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy, California.

Lina Broydo immigrated from Russia, then the Soviet Union, to Israel where she was educated and got married. After working at the University in Birmingham, England she and her husband immigrated to the United States. She lives in Los Altos Hills, CA and writes about travel, art, style, entertainment, and sports. She hardly cooks or bakes, not the best of ‘‘balabostas’’ her beloved beautiful Mom, Dina, was hoping for. Therefore, she makes reservations and enjoys dining out.

By Lina Broydo