Garlic

Garlic Scapes

Green Garlic

Photos by Jake Griggs

The sections below were copied with permission from Mi Ae Lipe’s Tastes from the Valley to Bluff: The Featherstone Farm Cookbook (2008).

Storage

* Please note these storage tips pertain to cured garlic.

You can keep garlic in the refrigerator or continue to cure it by storing it in a dry, dark, well-ventilated place. Moisture and light will trigger the bulb to sprout. Although sprouting garlic is still edible, it tends to be bitter and less digestible. Whole garlic bulbs can keep from 2 weeks to several months, depending on the variety and storage conditions.

They will also keep quite well in a basement, a root cellar, or other place with the proper cool temperature and lack of humidity.

Complementary Herbs, Seasonings, & Foods

Beans, beef, beets, butter, cabbage, chicken, eggplant, eggs, fish, ginger, greens, hot pepper, lamb, lentils, mayonnaise, mushrooms, olive oil, onions, pasta, pesto, pork, potatoes, poultry, rice, rosemary, sesame, shellfish, soy sauce, spinach, tomatoes, vegetables, zucchini.

Serving Suggestions

• Purée fresh garlic, canned garbanzo beans, tahini, olive oil, and lemon juice to make the Middle Eastern dip, hummus.

• Sauté thinly sliced or chopped cloves with steamed spinach and sprinkle with red pepper flakes.

• Add garlic to sauces, soups, stews, and casseroles.

• Insert thin slivers of garlic and sprigs of fresh garlic and sprigs of fresh herbs directly into meat or under the skin of poultry to be roasted.

• Top your favorite pizza with very thin slices of garlic. A must for garlic-lovers, not so for garlic-haters!

• Add garlic to your favorite pesto, marinade, and salsa recipe.

• Pickle whole garlic cloves in soy sauce.

• Add finely chopped garlic and fresh herbs to ground beef for out-of-this-world hamburgers and meatloaf.

• Roast whole garlic bulbs, then squeeze and spread the resulting paste onto slices of thick-cut French or sourdough bread like butter.

• Sprinkle vegetables that will be oven-roasted, like potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, onions, and carrots, with a combination of olive oil, chopped garlic, fresh herbs, and salt and pepper.

Links

Cook out of the Box - Focus: Garlic

Recipes

Poached Garlic

1 garlic head

Milk

In a small saucepan, cut the ends from all the garlic cloves. Set the cut sides down in a pan with enough milk to reach half way up the garlic head. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Voila!

Credit: Featherstone Farm

Garlic Compound Butter

Thinly slice 2 garlic cloves and sprinkle them with coarse sea salt. Using the flat side of a knife, squish the garlic into a fine paste. Mix the garlic with 1/2 stick of butter and other herbs (basil, cilantro, oregano, or thyme are good choices, either dried or fresh). Put into a dish, refrigerate, and serve with crusty bread. (It tastes great on corn, too).

Credit: Featherstone Farm

Simple Double Garlic Spring Pasta

Cook your favorite "long pasta" such as spaghetti, linguine or fettuccine in well salted water. While the pasta cooks, heat up olive oil in a large skillet.  (About 2 T. oil per serving) Chop a bulb of green garlic and about 6 garlic scapes.   (This should be enough for about 8 T. oil (8 T = 1/2 cup)  It is okay to use more garlic if you love it. Saute both garlic and scapes at low to medium heat until soft.  Don't burn or brown. Set aside. Drain pasta, saving a little pasta water. Toss pasta with oil and garlic. Add a little water if too dry. Serve with grated parmesan, salt and pepper and red pepper flakes if you like a little heat.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2011 - Week 3

Green Garlic and Semolina Soup with Spinach

This recipe is adapted from one in Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food.

Ingredients: 2 quarts chicken stock, 1/2 cup semolina (coarsely ground durum wheat, often used to make pasta), 3 green garlic stalks - chop fine the white bulbs and stems and save the green trimmings for stock), herbs such as fresh parsley, chives or thyme.

Bring stock and about 2-3 T. chopped fresh herbs to a boil.  Slowly add semolina, stirring constantly with a whisk.  Lower heat and cook about another 5 minutes, stirring often.  (You want the semolina suspended, not sinking to the bottom)  Add chopped garlic and simmer another 20 minutes.  Salt to taste.

Optional additions - add some spinach leaves in the last few minutes of cooking.

You can also serve a poached egg in each soup bowl and/or place some shaved Parmesan on each serving.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2011 Week 2

Garlic Soup

From Jane Brody's Good Food Gourmet.

Serve with homemade croutons.

Ingredients

4 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup white wine

12 cloves garlic, peeled

2 medium onions, peeled and quartered

1 rib celery, quartered

Preparation

Bring all ingredients to a boil in a cooking pot.  Turn down heat and simmer, covered, for 2 hours.  Check pot a few times and add water if necessary.  Cool soup and then puree in a blender or food processor.  Optional - add 1/4 cup dry sherry

Note from Peggy:  I think a little soy sauce would be a good seasoning for this soup.  Jane Brody often leaves out salt in her recipes.  If desired, add a little salt or pepper.  A lot depends on how salty the broth is to start with.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Week 17 

Other Ideas for Garlic

Chop fresh scapes finely. Add to cream cheese along with some chopped fresh dill for a spread for crackers or sandwiches.  This would make a good omelet filling too.

Add finely chopped fresh scapes to mayonnaise.

Puree with oil, parmesan and walnuts or pine nuts for a pesto - use with pasta or pizza.

Chop and add to spaghetti sauce.

Cut to desired length and saute with fresh asparagus.

Cut up and add to soups or salads. 

Last updated on March 16, 2012 by Featherstone Farm