Garlic-Chile Crunch

Ingredients

1 pint (300 g) peeled garlic cloves, with the little nubs at the root end cut off

Extra-virgin olive oil

Dried chile flakes or crushed chile de árbol

Directions

Put the garlic in a food processor and pulse several times until the pieces are about the size of a grain of short-grain brown rice (they won't be evenly shaped like that, but you get the idea). Add about ¾ cup (180 ml) olive oil and pulse several more times until the garlic bits are more like peppercorn size and suspended in oil. The mixture is a paste but not a full-on puree. You want to see actual bits of garlic.

Scrape the mixture into a nonstick pan (a 10-inch/23 cm pan works well) on a cold burner. You should have just enough oil to cover the garlic; if not, add a few more drops to cover (this will depend on the size of your pan; it's important for the oil to cover the garlic so that it cooks slowly and evenly). Now turn on the heat to medium or medium- low. Cook the garlic slowly, stirring frequently with a silicone spatula and scraping any bits that stick to the pan, until the garlic is an even light brown. The goal is to reduce the moisture in the garlic without browning it too much, which would make it bitter. The process could take up to 45 minutes... but your patience will be rewarded!

As soon as you can tell that the garlic is evenly browned and getting crispy-listen as you scrape, you'll be able to hear when the garlic gets crispy ... think potato chip crumbs-take the pan from the heat and stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons of the dried chile flakes, according to your heat tolerance. Scrape everything into a jar, cover tightly, and keep at room temperature for up to 1 month.

Don't refrigerate it, or the garlic will soften again.

Notes

This zippy condiment lives on my counter by my stove in a little glass jar. I add it to vegetable dishes, fried grains, and eggs, and use it to finish many pasta sauces. I have yet to find something it doesn't taste good on. You must have a nonstick pan for this, though I don't usually recommend nonstick pans due to their unfriendliness to the environment. (Plus, you rarely actually need a nonstick coating; if you heat your pan properly before adding your ingredients, your food won't stick! And yes, this is an enormous amount of garlic-you'll probably need 6 or 7 heads-but you'll have an excellent stash of this stuff to use whenever you want (you can also make a half recipe). Do NOT buy prepeeled garlic in a jar, which always tastes oxidized to me. I will be very disappointed if you do.

MAKES ABOUT 1½ CUPS (280 G)