Pesto (Italian basil garlic sauce) Sauce for 1 lb. Pasta

2 c. clean, dry basil leaves

½ c. pine nuts

2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled

½ tsp. coarse salt

½ c. grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese

½ c. extra virgin olive oil

Traditionally prepared in a mortar, this is easy in a food processor or blender. Puree the leaves with the nuts, garlic, and salt until smooth. Add the cheese, and then gradually add the oil to make a thick, creamy sauce.

You can substitute another ½ c. of cheese for the pine nuts, if they are unavailable. Versions substituting walnuts or using dried basil should be avoided at all costs!

This can be refrigerated in a jar, covered with a thin skin of olive oil for several weeks. It can only be made in the late summer when fresh basil is available in quantity; however, it can be successfully frozen for future use by freezing the sauce, minus the cheese, in an ice cube tray, and storing in a heavy zip lock bag for up to a year. Thaw and add grated cheese, and you're ready to go.

This sauce is also very good added to soups (such as minestrone) or in an omelet. It can be combined with butter (1 part pesto to 2 parts butter) and used on vegetables, mashed potatoes... It can be stirred into bottled mayonnaise which makes a great potato salad. 1 part pesto, 1 part wine or rice vinegar, and 2 parts olive oil makes a great salad dressing.

Skordalia (Greek parsley garlic sauce)

This can be made year round, and can be used the same way you would pesto.

2-4 fat cloves garlic, peeled and chopped (at least 1 Tbs.)

¼ tsp. salt

1 c. fresh parsley leaves, packed to measure

¼ c. lemon juice

1 c. oil

¼ c. unseasoned dry bread crumbs

½ c. grated parmesan cheese

1 Tbs. dried oregano leaves

1 Tbs.. drained capers

Puree garlic, salt, parsley, lemon juice and half of the oil in a food processor blender, stopping and scraping as necessary. When Smooth add other ingredients and remaining oil. Cover and blend 1 minute more, until completely pureed.

Roasted Garlic en chemise

Place unpeeled heads of garlic snugly in an oven proof dish, root ends down. Drizzle ½ tsp. of olive oil per head over the garlic, add a little water (2 Tbs. for 4 heads) and roast in a 350°F oven for about an hour. Heads may also be placed in a roasting pan with a chicken and roasted with it. 2 servings per head.

To serve freshly roasted, cut the heads in half across the cloves. The soft garlic can then be squeezed out onto bread or meat, or into soup. The heads may also be peeled and the whole cloves stored in the refrigerator with a little more oil until needed to season a sauce (great to jazz up bottled spaghetti sauce) or spread on a sandwich.

Garlic Chicken

serves 4

4 boneless chicken breasts

2 large cloves garlic, crushed

¼ c. olive oil

¼ c. bread crumbs

¼ c. grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425° F.

Warm the garlic and olive oil to blend the flavors. In a separate dish, combine the bread crumbs and cheese.

Dip the chicken breasts in the oil and garlic mixture, then into the bread and cheese mixture. Place in a shallow casserole dish and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Provençal Bean Soup

½ lb. dry navy or other white beans

2 qt.'s water

1 head garlic, broken apart, peeled

1 tsp. rosemary leaves

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. salt

1/4 c. olive oil

Wash beans and soak overnight; or cover in boiling water and soak 1-2 hours. Drain beans and add to the 8 cups water. Add garlic cloves, salt and a tea ball or fabric sachet contained the herbs.

Bring to boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently until the beans are soft enough to mash easily. Remove the herbs. Mash or blend about half of the beans to thicken soup. Taste and correct the seasoning. Serve over a slice of bread drizzled with olive oil, or add oil directly to the soup.

Aioli (Provençal garlic mayonnaise)

1 pint sauce

at least 6 to 12 cloves garlic (½ to 1 head)

4 egg yolks

1 Tbs.. boiling water

½ Tbs.. or more salt

freshly ground pepper to taste

1¼ c. peanut oil

1 c. olive oil

1 Tbs.. or more lemon juice

Peel and finely mince garlic and place in a large mixing bowl and add egg yolks. Start beating with a wire whisk, or mixer. Add rapidly boiling water, salt and pepper, then add the peanut oil, drop by drop, until more than half of it is added. The peanut oil and may then be added in increasing quantities. Beat in the lemon juice.

Food Processor Version:

Drop peeled garlic cloves in running processor. Once minced, add egg yolks and process until combined, then pour rapidly boiling water in running processor slowly. Add salt and pepper, turn processor back on and dribble half of the oil in slowly. Add lemon juice, add rest of oil, a dollop at a time.

Traditionally served with a room temperature platter of poached cod, boiled vegetables such as cauliflower, new potatoes, artichokes, carrots, beets, green beans, raw tomatoes, chick-peas, hard-boiled eggs, maybe even snails. Also good on salads, sandwiches, etc.

"Aioli epitomizes the heat, the power, and the joy of the Provençal sun, but it has another virtue - it drives away flies." Frederic Mistral