Author Notes: The first time I ordered the garlic bread at Bedouin Tent in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, I was expecting, well, bread with garlic on it. What I got made my eyes pop out of my head (not literally– not to worry): a gorgeous pizza-like creation spread generously with fresh, chopped parsley and garlic. The chewy, hot dough, rolled to order, arrived to the table still steaming from the oven.
Since then, it’s been one of my favorite things to order there, especially if I’m getting a bowl of the lentil soup to go with it. Now that I’m living 3,000 miles away from the restaurant, it’s not so easy to get them to deliver it, so in the throes of a major craving for it the other day, I decided to make my own. I had to think on it a while, though, because despite the huge amount of garlic on the crust, it didn’t carry that burning hot bite; what I figured out was that a short blanching of the garlic first would take away some of the heat and leave a mellower, more pleasant garlic flavor.
Now I just need to download some of those rhythmic, Middle Eastern pop songs that play in the dining room and get a couple of the hospitable staff to come serve it to me, and the experience will be complete. Almost. —vvvanessa
Serves: 2-4 as a starter
Ingredients
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1
10-inch pizza dough
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4-6
large cloves of garlic, peeled and cut into rough quarters
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1
cup fresh, chopped parsley
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extra virgin olive oil
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sea salt or kosher salt
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- Bring a small pot of water to boil. Drop in the garlic cloves and let them steep in the water for about 60 seconds.
- Remove the garlic from the water, thoroughly draining off the water (a small sieve or a dish towel works well for this). Carefully mince the garlic and then toss it with the parsley.
- Spread the garlic-parsley mixture evenly over the dough. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Cook the garlic bread for 10-15 minutes or until the dough is ready and before the garlic starts to brown.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle very lighty with salt. Cut and serve hot.
/9f47d6ba-20bb-4ddf-96c9-81136798db93--IMG_1530.jpg "Garlic Bread à la Bedouin Tent 2")
