Chicken with 42 Cloves of Garlic

When my brother in law gave me a recipe for 'Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic,' I was more than a little skeptical. It turns out that when you cook chicken with unpeeled garlic, the chicken is not garlicky at all; rather, the garlic adopts the flavor of the chicken. The soft, schmaltzy garlic cloves can then be spread on matzo.

As for the number of cloves: my lucky number is 42. (The reason is not The Hitchhiker's Guide; it's even nerdier). As such, I couldn't resist adjusting this recipe to that number. Again, the proportions are not that sensitive because the garlic does not actually impart a strong flavor.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 lbs. chicken pieces, skin on
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
• 42 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  
• 1 tsp. dried tarragon
• 1/2 cup semi-dry red cooking wine
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
  
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
   
2. In a four quart casserole, combine the chopped onions, apples, parsley and tarragon.
3. Put down a layer of chicken, nestling garlic cloves in between the pieces. Repeat until all of the garlic and chicken has been placed.
4. Combine the wine, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a jar or container and shake to combine. Drizzle over the chicken.
5. Cover the casserole and bake for 1 1/2 hours or until juice runs golden from chicken when poked with a fork.

PAIRINGS: This dish is heavily aromatic yet delicately flavored, with mild sweetness and soft textures. I recommend a semi-dry white with just enough structure to balance the stewed vegetables.