Aglione is not just a big garlic.
It is a PGI product from Valdichiana. It has its own genome. Its main characteristic is that it is devoid of allina, which is why its aroma is delicate and floral. The cloves are large and pulpy
Today there is a good bibliography of Aglione. The thesis of the 2018 graduate student Matteo Finocchi is noteworthy.
http://www.aglione.it/assets/files/Aglione_della_Valdichiana_Matteo-Finocchi%20.pdf
One of the major producers of Aglione della Valdichiana today is the company https://www.saporidellatoscana.it/azienda/
Its delicacy made me think of a cream that can be used (always with due parsimony) on croutons, in the filling of sandwiches, as a complement to roasts and braised meats, like a veil to be spread on baked vegetables.
CONFIT AGLIONE CREAM
Ingredients:
250 gr wedges of Giant Garlic (Aglione) , already peeled
250 gr extra virign olive oil – sweet and delicate ( I have used the olive oil of the company Sapori della Toscana)
1 gr thin salt
I immersed the cloves in oil in a small pan and cooked for 8 hours at 70 ° C, until the cloves became very soft, slightly browned and being careful not to fry the oil. The temperature is decisive to avoid overheating and decomposition of the oil. however, a slight foam will form, which is not due to the “frying” of the oil, but rather from releasing water from the aglione.
I put the pot on the pilot flame of my school kitchen. I understand that such a possibility does not always exist at home. For those who have an electric plate, just adjust the temperature to the minimum and then check it with a thermometer during cooking.
I took the wedges with a slotted spoon to drain them and put them in the immersion blender. I added a gram of salt and started the engine.
Here is what I got. This cream can be enriched with wild fennel flowers, chilli pepper, sage, rosemary, well chopped thyme … or whatever your imagination and taste suggests.A recommendation: herbs must be dried to avoid the formation of mold in case the mixture wants to be preserved.
The remaining oil has never reached high temperatures and being a very pure extra virgin olive oil, mono-unsaturated, it could be reused within a day or two for a good roast …. very aromatic.
I put some in the jar to “seal” the cream from contact with the air. A product like this must be consumed within a few days, otherwise it must be sterilized by boiling until the jar reaches the vacuum.
Ready to experiment? This will also help safeguard another small Italian excellence.