Chopping and Crushing

Chop garlic by first slicing it very thinly with a paring knife and then finely chopping the slices with a chef’s knife. Some recipes call for garlic that has been ground to a paste in a mortar and pestle. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, work the chopped garlic back and forth on the cutting board with the side of a chef’s knife. Lean on the knife as you go; in a minute or so you’ll have an almost perfectly smooth paste.