A roundup for garlic fiends (vampires should look away now). This week I am sharing my selection of 4 Gorgeously Garlicky Recipes, plus the linky for week 34 of #CookBlogShare!
How is it possibly the end of August already? People are actually starting to mention CHRISTMAS on social media, which is just plain SCARY! And all my Scottish friends have been posting pictures of their kids going back to school…it really does feel like summer is almost over 🙁
I hope those of you who’ve been away have had a fab time…we are just back from an amazing (though slightly soggy) trip to the Loire valley. Lovely area of France…though bizarrely untouristy…I thought with all those beautiful chateaux, not to mention the delicious wine and picture postcard towns, we would be positively tripping over tourists, but not at all – we practically had the place to ourselves! (OK, slight exaggeration.)
We were based in Blois and had a fine time checking out the delights of the section of the Loire valley that runs between Tours and Orléans. My highlights were all food and wine based, obviously! We had some rather memorable meals…including one fabulously unexpected one – we got caught in a big storm in Tours and literally ran into a restaurant to escape the downpour – it turned out to be rather a gem and we whiled away a couple of very happy hours eating and drinking, while waiting for the storm to pass.
My lunch was just a simply fried pavé of salmon with a beurre blanc sauce, but it reminded me why I love French food so much – often very simple, but perfectly cooked, and almost always a good bottle of wine to go with it (in this case a rather fab bottle of Chinon rouge).
We also managed to fit in a couple of wine visits – one to Chinon (mostly because of that wonderful bottle we tasted in Tours), where we were led through a tasting of whites (from Chenin Blanc) and rosés and reds (from Cabernet Franc), including one from the year 2000 (since when did the year 2000 become old for wine? When I was just starting out in the wine industry, 2000 was the latest vintage!!!). My favourite, though, was the youngest and freshest red, which was vibrant and juicy, with hints of strawberries and green peppers, and utterly delicious – best served slightly chilled and perfect for partnering tuna, salmon and chicken.
Our other wine visit was to caves in Vouvray where we got to taste the many diverse styles of wine that they make in that part of the world from just one grape variety: Chenin Blanc. It’s quite impressive – sparkling wines, still wines, dry wines, sweet wines, really sweet wines, sparkling sweet wines, aged wines…all with their own unique characteristics…I am totally sold on sparkling Vouvray now…hubby and I on the way home were shaking our heads at how underrated (or actually just plain unknown) it is in the UK…you can get a fab bottle for much less than the price of a mediocre bottle of Champagne and it is gooood!! If you can ever find a bottle, I heartily recommend it! It makes a fab aperitif, but also goes really well with charcuterie, sushi, white fish and seafood.
The other foodie highlight of the holiday was the goat’s cheese we found on our first night, when we were stocking up our Airbnb kitchen. Goat’s cheese is something of a speciality of the Loire valley and this one was a particularly yummy one…though sadly it didn’t even have a name…it was just labelled ‘rond, affiné’, which means, round and mature…well, whatever it was it was awesome! And of course like all the best French cheeses had a distinct odour of smelly socks and had to be eaten with a spoon! Even hubby was impressed (hilarious considering he once described eating goat’s cheese as ‘like licking a snooker table’…obviously this was before he met me and had learnt to like the finer things in life!!!).
Amazingly, considering the vast quantities of bread, cheese, wine and Milka (yep, my guilty pleasure) I consumed last week, I did not come back three times the size, but I am definitely a few pounds heavier…I would say the diet starts this week…but this week my parents are coming to stay…so maybe the next week… 😉
4 Gorgeously Garlicky Recipes
Anyone who knows me will know that I am something of a garlic fiend (another reason why I like France), so when Jo of Jo’s Kitchen Larder shared her tzatziki on Instagram with the caption “Not for faint hearted when it comes to garlic!!!”, my theme for this week’s roundup was born.
I am a huge fan of garlic and you will find garlic in almost all of my recipes…well the savoury ones, that is…I am yet to come up with a dessert that works with garlic, but I am sure that is only a matter of time!!! Let me know if you have any suggestions…
So this week I have gathered together some of the yummiest, garlickiest recipes I could find from the selection in last week’s #CookBlogShare linky – enjoy!
If you are not a #CookBlogShare regular and are wondering what an earth I am going on about, #CookBlogShare is a place for bloggers to share their recipes. If you are a blogger and have a recipe to share, you can link up your post by following the instructions below. If you are not a blogger, but love food and cooking, do check out the recipes that will be appearing below. If this week is as good as they usually are you will find some awesome recipes – the #CookBlogShare bloggers are very good at what they do!
Easy Greek Shrimp Saganaki
First up is this gorgeous Easy Greek Shrimp Saganaki from Monika over at Everyday Healthy Recipes. Monika has recently returned from a holiday in Greece and she has clearly been inspired! I have to say, though I love Greek food and eat it often, I have never even heard of Saganaki, let alone tasted it…but after reading this wonderful recipe full of tomatoes, prawns, olives, feta cheese and, of course lots of garlic, I really want to make this!!
Really Easy Yogurt Sauce
Next up is this awesome sounding Really Easy Yogurt Sauce from Jacqui at Recipes Made Easy…I am such a fan of this kind of simple but delicious yogurt and garlic sauce – such a wonderfully easy peasy way to make a dish taste fab! And, as always with Jacqui, this recipe comes with lots of fab hints and tips – she recommends using good quality yogurt and giving the sauce time to sit before using, to allow the flavours to develop. She also gives loads of fab variations to this sauce – lots of different flavour combinations to pair with a variety of different meat, fish and vegetable options.
Easy Jerk Chicken
You know how much I like a fuss free, family friendly meal and Corina has really nailed it with her delicious, kid-friendly version of Jerk Chicken. Her version uses less chilli than usual to make it more suitable for younger children (and chilli wusses alike!), but it is still full of flavour from the cinnamon, allspice, lime, brown sugar, soy sauce and of course garlic!! She pairs her Easy Jerk Chicken with a ready prepared pouch of Tilda Rice and Peas to make a brilliant easy peasy midweek meal I know my kids would LOVE!
Perfect Greek Tzatziki
And finally, the recipe that inspired the roundup this week, this wonderfully garlicky Perfect Greek Tzatziki from Jo’s Kitchen Larder. A fab combination of thick Greek yogurt, grated cucumber and LOTS of garlic (Jo adds two whole cloves to hers!), tzatziki is one of my favourite dips, and as Jo says, once you’ve made your own you won’t want to go back to buying it from the shops!!
#CookBlogShare Linky Week 34
And so we come to this week’s linky. You can link up any foodie post that you have – both old and new posts are welcome. All you need to do is:
- Link up a recipe or foodie post by clicking the blue ‘add your link’ button below and following the instructions (maximum of 4, please).
- Add a link from your post back to this post (so everyone else can find it and link up too!) and / or add the #CookBlogShare badge to your post (you can find the code below).
- Comment on one of the host’s posts and a minimum of 2 other posts linked up here, and generally share the love with a bit of social media action!
If you wish, you can tweet a link to your recipe to me @easypeasyfoodie and also (if you have room on the tweet!) my co-hosts Kirsty @k_phillipson, Jacqui @jacdotbee and Monika @MonikasRecipes, using the #CookBlogShare hashtag and we will retweet them. You can also post your recipe on the Cook Blog Share Facebook Page.
I will comment on all the posts this week and pin them all to the Cook Blog Share Pinterest Board. I can’t wait to see what you’ve all been making!
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Just to remind you, by joining in you are giving the #CookBlogShare hosts permission to use your pictures in a round up and on social media, if your recipe is selected as one of our favourites!
Next week #CookBlogShare will be hosted by Jacqui at Recipes Made Easy 🙂
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
What a beautiful region of France Eb, so strange that there were more tourists there – though I imagine that’s actually part of what makes it so beautiful. Great round up too Eb, had to chuckle about at your warning directed at vampires to look away 😉
Angela x
Eb Gargano says
There were a few tourists there, but nowhere near as many as I expected…I though the Loire Valley would be heaving with tourists in August! Especially considering many of the villages have a wine fair on or around the 15th August, when we were there…we would have gone to the one in Amboise but I think 2 wine visits was as much as our kids could take…didn’t want to chance my luck with a third!!! Eb x
jacqui says
So glad you had a good holiday. We passed through Orléans last year as we drove down to the south of Spain and back. It was a lovely city. While we didn’t get wet we had to do a 2 hour detour to get to Orléans as the area was flooded and the main roads were closed. Still not sure if we are going to get a holiday away this year 🙁
But that by the by. What a great idea for a round up and thanks for including my yogurt sauce.
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Jacqui 🙂 We never actually made it to Orleans…I would have liked to, but it was either that or Futuroscope in Poitiers, and while I would have much preferred to go to Orleans, the others in my family overruled me! I think we’d dragged the kids round enough towns and wine caves by then, so it was the right thing to do (well ish….the queues were horrendous, but the kids did have fun). I would like to go back one day and do all the bits we didn’t have time for! Eb x
jacqui says
ahhh I find that with a lot of holidays – I want to go back and do the bits I missed, then again there are so many other place to see and only much time.
Eb Gargano says
Haha, yes…if only there were enough time to go everywhere and see everything! Eb x
Corina says
I love garlic and would love all of these recipes! Thanks so much for featuring my easy jerk chicken x
Eb Gargano says
Me too…I am such a fan! I add it to practically everything. It’s a pleasure to feature your lovely jerk chicken…definitely my kind of easy peasy recipe! Eb x
Jo Allison - Jo's Kitchen Larder says
It sounds like you had fab holiday Eb! I think that tourist board of the Loire Valley region should seriously consider hiring you (and I’m not even kidding)! 🙂 You have painted such a lovely picture of the area that I would so love to visit and all the wine and local cheeses wouldn’t be safe for as long as I’m there lol. Garlicy recipes roundup feels so appropriate after French holidays too 🙂 Thank you so much for including my Tzatziki. x
Eb Gargano says
Haha – now there is a job I would enjoy! The wine and cheese was definitely not safe with me, that’s for sure. If you hear on the news about the Loire valley having severe shortages of cheese and wine you will know why 😉 A pleasure to include your gorgeous tzatziki…well I could hardly leave out the inspiration for the whole post, now could I? Eb x
Monika Dabrowski says
Thank you so much for including my Greek dish in the roundup! Sounds like you had a great holiday, I know being tied to school holidays isn’t always ideal but it’s nice to get away at this time of year, isn’t it?
Eb Gargano says
A pleasure, Monika – such a lovely sounding dish! The trouble with being tied to school hols I find is finding somewhere that is good weatherwise – so many places are just too hot for me and the places that are cooler (like the Loire) tend to be rainy! I did love it when we could get away in June or September…much more choice of good places to go and so much cheaper! Eb x
Stephanie says
I just joined this linky and I don’t appear to be able to comment on your other posts. Is there something I’m missing? Thanks!
Eb Gargano says
Apologies Stephanie, the commenting function had somehow turned itself off for those posts. I think I’ve fixed the problem now, so comment away! And thanks for joining in with the linky, it’s lovely to have you! 😀 Eb x
Midge @ Peachicks' Bakery says
We love France but never been to the Loire Valley! Looks gorgeous and definitely going on the list for our next travels! Loving the garlic filled recipes, we eat a lot of it here as its supposed to help with reducing asthma symptoms… don’t really mind if its true or not we love the stuff and every little helps right?! LOL!
Eb Gargano says
Well, until this visit neither had we…we’ve been to many places over the years, but never the Loire Valley! It’s really lovely and well worth a trip 😀 Apparently garlic is supposed to be good for stopping you from getting bitten by insects, but sadly that has never worked for me…despite eating rather enormous quantities of garlic I am eaten alive every summer unless I douse myself with deet – bah! Eb x
Marilyn Lesniak says
Thank you so much for hosting. I am happy I found you and your blog. Have a great week!
Eb Gargano says
Thanks for linking up Marilyn! Eb x
Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food says
I feel your pain, Eb: I recently walked into my local hobby store only to realize that it had been reorganized to accommodate Christmas decorations, which now occupy 1/4 of the store! Ugh. So not ready. Summer is far too short here! These garlicky recipes all sound delicious, but I’m putting that jerk chicken at the top of my To-Make list so I can put it on the Barbie while it’s still warm outside. Thanks for hosting #CookBlogShare!
Eb Gargano says
It’s scary how early Christmas starts arriving each year…it was crazy when it all started in September, but August is just plain ridiculous…having said that I’ll admit to already having started to fill out Novemeber and December in my blog plan, so I can’t really moan too loudly…but I worry if I don’t start thinking about it now, it will suddenly be the end on November and I won’t have done a thing!!! Eb x
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says
I prefer holidays where there are not too many tourists, you get to see the true country and not all the commercial sides that tourists bring. It looks and sounds like you had a lovely time. We want to go camping in France when the twins are a bit bigger, certainly better weather and wine that Yorkshire! Thank you for hosting xx
Eb Gargano says
Yes, normally I would say that too…and there is something very nice about seeing the true country…but I found it just so surprising how few tourists we encountered…and being August, when many French people are away on holiday, it meant it sometimes felt a but ‘dead’ which isn’t so good. But we did discover this one place, called Amboise, where there were a few more tourists and it was actually nice as the place felt much more alive somehow…so sometimes I think actually a few tourists is nice…but yes, there does come a point when there are too many tourists and then it can really spoil a place…especially, as you say, if it becomes over commercial and tacky!! Luckily that is one thing you won’t find much of in the Loire!! Eb x
Sadhna Grover says
Hi EB,
Thanks for the garlicky recipes, I love to add garlic in every recipe. Thanks for hosting the party. It seems you are enjoying summer. In Calgary, this year summer is very nice and long. I went to Paris in 2003 and really enjoyed your country.
Eb Gargano says
Ah yes, I am the same – I add garlic to nearly everything…and I really notice it when it is not there. My Dad has a garlic intolerance, so I always have to leave it out whenever I cook for him and I notice it badly!! Eb x
Nico @ yumsome says
Ooh, your Loire Valley photos are gorgeous – it sounds like you had such a wonderful time there! xx
Eb Gargano says
Thank you! It was a fab holiday…slightly kicking myself for not taking the proper camera with me…my phone did an OK job, but I much prefer the shots I get out of my ‘real’ camera…and everything was so photogenic…I should have known, really – France kinda has that reputation – lol!! Eb x
Choclette says
Such gorgeous pictures. It’s been far too long since I was in France. And three cheers for garlic too 😀
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thanks Choclette – France is so photogenic – well large parts of it at least!! (Some bits on the outskirts of Paris, not so much.) Eb x