I come from a small mountain town tucked back in the pines where we are famous for two regional delicacies; Squirrel stew and our garlic breadknots. Okay, it might just be a small-town joke about the squirrel stew. But I am not joking about the garlic breadknots. Yes, this pungent garlicky appetizer is our regional specialty of choice. Everyone who has ever lived in this hilltop small town of Running Springs, California has a great memory of the raw garlic-covered bread knots from The Grinder of the late 1990s. This was my first job ever as an adult, peeling about five hundred cloves of garlic once a week in the back room of The Grinder. And yes I constantly reeked of garlic from the year 1999-2000. I also learned a lot in this year about the restaurant business and as much as I loved to cook, why you should never, ever buy a restaurant.
Just last week at my grown-up job now as a forty-year-old woman in marketing I actually met the man who invented the bread knot back in the late 1980s! I wish I had taken a selfie with Mr Garlic Breadknots but I was too busy trying not to hyperventilate while wearing a mask at work, climbing three flights of stairs and also giving our VIP group the grand tour of Santa Anita Park on a ninety-degree day in November. This right here is why I prefer to stay in the mountains. Where the pine trees and the garlic breadknots are.
And then there is my other full-time job as a mountain hiking guide. Yesterday on my guided hiking tour I found the cutest shepherd puppies! I have to say do you know what makes a ten-hour workday epic? Puppy kisses of course! Two hours of puppy time is just about the right amount of time to spend with puppies I have to say. Also, some days I love my job.
Bread knots; The ultimate Covid party treat
If it’s just about New Year’s Eve then I might be celebrating the upcoming year 2022 by mainlining some carbs for the first time in months. If you are going to give in to carbs then there is no better way to do that than by shoving an entire plate of garlicky breadknots at your face. You might want to forget about that New Year’s Eve kiss after devouring an entire head of garlic. (But garlic’s healing properties will help your body fight off that Covid-19!)
Some of us actually feel safe and vaccinated enough this New Year’s Eve to watch the ball drop with friends and family again on December 31st. Hurray for life getting back to normal post-pandemic! If you do choose to drink and be merry with all your old bum chums New Year’s Eve these easy garlic breadknots are the holiday appetizer you might want to stick in your oven. Plus, bread knots are chock full of garlic! They will scare away vampires, close talkers and Covid germs! One thing about garlic, it is just fantastic at helping your immunity.
Garlic is nature’s best natural antibiotic at fighting infections and viruses. And it’s way more convenient to buy than horse dewormer! Allium sativum L is here to save the day when it comes to fighting off scary 2022 viruses like Covid-19. These bread knots are chock full of about thirty garlic cloves so let’s see, Covid-19, minus thirty garlic cloves equals some very garlicky breath and also hopefully a clean bill of health. If you do come down with the dreaded Coronavirus the raw oils in garlic are known to help clear bronchial passages.
This Christmas season I finally perfected the ultimate decadent bread knot Christmas dish to share with friends and family. It’s the holidays, let’s eat all the cheese and carb goodness, right? What could make a bread knot taste even better? Add a bunch of cheese and some pepperoni! And extra garlic of course!
Pizza BreadKnot Pull Apart-Bread
1 store-bought pizza dough (I prefer the whole grain one from Whole Foods)
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, cut into slices
1 package pepperoni
3 heads of garlic, peeled and cloves set aside and chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 375. Flour your dough and roll it out on a cutting board. Cut the dough in half. Inside the first half layer the sliced mozzarella cheese and the pepperoni. Press the second layer on top and seal down firmly. Use a pizza cutter to slice into twelve pieces. Tie each piece in a knot. Place the knots on a greased baking sheet and bake for ten minutes, Flip the knots over and bake another five minutes until browned.
While the knots are baking whisk together the chopped garlic, herbs, olive oil and salt. Let the bread knots sit for at least ten minutes. When the bread knots come out of the oven immediately drench them in this garlic sauce then sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top. Serve these to your families and friends to fight ofCovid-19 on New Year’s Eve with a side of ranch and pizza sauce.
