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With the return of Halloween and tales of haunted houses, monsters
and vampires, it's time once again to think of that greatest of
all bat-banes, garlic. Now is the time to plant for next year's
harvest of your own, organically grown, delicious garlic cloves.
The power of garlic has been renowned for millennia. The bulb
featured prominently in ancient lore; the Egyptians, for example,
swore their most sacred oaths over a string of garlic cloves,
and Homer's Odysseus used garlic to keep the sorceress Circe from
turning him into a pig. Garlic has always been considered a strength-giver;
Egyptian slaves were given garlic to keep them healthy while building
the pyramids, and the Israelites munched it before escaping from
Egypt, much lamenting its absence during theie 40 years in the
wilderness. The Romans considered the herb sacred to the god Mars
and often ate it in large quantities before battle. (No wonder
the legions were so invincible; who could stand to get close to
a hoard of garlic-saturated soldiers?) The southern European,
African and Asian cultures were all avid users of garlic to treat
a myriad of ailments including worms, ear ache, plague and heart
trouble, among others. Interestingly, the only culture that never
seemed to be enthusiastic about garlic was the English. Although
the 17th century herbalist Culpepper agreed that it had some medicinal
powers, he found garlic to be "intolerably rank" and
advised that it be taken "inwardly with great moderation."
Garlic has recently been much proscribed by many herbalists for
a variety of ills, and some of these claims have recently been
substantiated by modern medicine. A substance in garlic, called
allicin, has been found to be a potent antibiotic equivalent to
a 1% penicillin solution, and effective against a variety of ills
such as typhus, cholera and strep bacteria. Other possible beneficial
effects from eating garlic have been reported in treating high
blood pressure and stomach cancer. (One note: the garlic must
be taken raw or in tablet form to be effective &emdash cooking
seems to diminish its health benefits.)
To me any medicinal power of garlic is secondary to its prime
place in the kitchen. I love garlic and grow a lot of it. It's
not particularly difficult to raise, and once you've eaten your
own fresh garlic, the six-month-old store-bought variety will
never appeal again. Garlic can be planted in either the spring
or fall, but now's really the time to plant &emdash the garlic
bulbs are bigger and tastier when planted in the fall. Although
there are several varieties of garlic (differing mainly in flavor),
each is planted the same way.
Prepare a section of the garden as you would for any vegetable.
Buy your garlic bulbs from a recognized organic grower. (Yes,
you may use regular store garlic, but heaven only knows how long
it has been sitting around or what it has been treated with.)
Take the garlic bulb and split it into cloves; plant each clove
about two inches deep and six inches apart and then water. Nature
will do the rest. Don't expect much growth this fall above ground;
by next spring the cloves will sprout. And by the middle of next
summer, the tall onion-like growth will begin to wither (knock
it down with a rake if by late July it hasn't; you want the strength
of the plant to go into the bulb, not the foliage). After the
leaves die back, gently lift the bulbs, let them sit in the shade
for a few days, shake them free of dirt and store in a cool, dry
place. Be sure to save some of the current year's harvest for
planting the coming fall &emdash that way you will assure
yourself of a constant and inexpensive supply of fresh, delicious
and healthful garlic.
In the Kitchen
by Karen McCarthy
Although most people consider garlic to have an extremely strong
flavor, the way it is prepared is more important to its strength
than the amount used. For example, garlic pushed through a garlic
press is stronger than minced garlic. And a minced clove of raw
garlic is immensely stronger than a whole head of roasted garlic.
If you are someone who likes garlic to have a tame flavor, try
blanching the cloves. Drop them, peel and all, in boiling water
for a few minutes before preparing them for your recipe and their
flavor will be mellowed.
Garlic has a great affinity for the flavors of basil, tomatoes
and lamb. Garlic powder and garlic salt are not a substitute for
fresh. Fresh garlic is readily available everywhere at all times
of the year, so there really is no need to use anything else.
If time is a consideration, try chopping whole heads at a time,
placing in a glass jar, covering with a little olive oil and storing
in the refrigerator. Keep heads of fresh garlic in a well-ventilated
place out of the sun and they will last up to a month.
There are so many recipes using garlic that it was hard to narrow
down which ones to use here. These are particular favorites of
mine.
GARLIC MASHED POTATOES
6 large all-purpose potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and cut into chunks
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 - 3/4 cup milk, heated
salt and pepper to taste
Place the potatoes and garlic cloves in a large saucepan and fill
with enough cold water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch. Bring
the potatoes to a boil and boil gently for 15 to 20 minutes or
until the potatoes are tender. Drain the potatoes and return them
to the pan and place over medium heat. Gently shake the pan to
dry out the potatoes. Add the butter and 1/2 cup of the hot milk
and begin to mash with a potato masher. Add the rest of the milk
if the potatoes seem too stiff. Mash them to the consistency that
you like (lumpy or smooth) and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serves 6. (For extra flavor, try leaving the peel on the potatoes,
and adding 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese at the end of the mashing.)
ROASTED GARLIC
6 heads of garlic
olive oil
butter
salt and freshly ground pepper
chopped herbs such as basil, rosemary, or thyme (optional)
1 loaf French bread, sliced
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Cut off the top third of the
garlic heads to expose the tops of the garlic cloves, and remove
the loose outside skin. Place the garlic heads in a baking dish,
cut side up, and drizzle with oil and dot with butter. Season
with salt and pepper. Cover the pan with foil, and bake for 30
minutes. Remove the cover and bake for an additional hour or until
cloves are tender (it may take longer). Remove from the oven and
sprinkle with the herbs. Allow to cool to room temperature. To
serve, have a seafood fork for guests to use to pull the cloves
of garlic out of their skins and then spread on the bread. Serves
6 as an appetizer.
GARLIC SOUP (Adapted form Julia
Child's recipe)
Blanch the garlic cloves in boiling water for 1 minute, drain
and run under cold water. Peel the garlic. Place the garlic in
a saucepan with the chicken broth, cloves, sage, thyme, bay leaf,
and parsley. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Strain the soup, reserving the broth and garlic cloves. Mash the
garlic and add to the broth. In a soup tureen, beat the egg yolks
and add the oil drop by drop while still beating. Before serving,
beat a ladleful of hot soup into the egg mixture by drops. Gradually
add the rest of the soup. Serve accompanied by bread and cheese.
Serves 6.
Variation: After straining the soup and adding mashed garlic,
place the soup in a shallow saucepan and bring to a simmer. Poach
6 eggs in the soup. Place a round of French bread in the bottom
of each bowl and top with a poached egg. Pour in the soup. Pass
the cheese at the table.
Karen McCarthy, food editor of this journal, is the chef and
founder of An Affair to Remember Catering in Southborough (508)
624-7630.
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