The Egyptians worshipped it and the Greek athletes turned not to steroids, but to this bulb vegetable to enhance their performance. Garlic was so highly-prized; it was even used as currency. That is the power of the Stinking Rose.
That said, garlic is something you’d either love or loathe. There is no in-between. I for one, love garlic and could do with the golden fried garlic garnish with most of my savory foods.
Chopping, crushing or mincing garlic will have all the juices released. Add a little salt and you’ll have some more juice. One raw finely chopped garlic clove releases more flavour than a bunch of cooked whole cloves. Sauté, poach, oven roast, fry or grill. From a crispy garnish to a creamy lump to make a paste for mashed potatoes, garlic shows versatility. When garlic cloves are cooked or baked whole, the flavour mellows into a sweetish nutty flavour (yes, garlic can be mild too, that how it’s used in ice-creams). And don’t be fooled by the size, small bulbs of garlic can be as much as 20 times as intense in flavour as the larger bulbs.
When sautéing garlic, do so on a low flame, because garlic cooks very fast and can quickly turn awfully bitter. To counter an overdose of garlic in soups and stews, fill a tea ball with parsley flakes and put it in the pot until it soaks up the excessive garlic flavor.
Garlic is also most nutritive when freshly crushed before cooking. For this I find the garlic press to be quite a nifty tool instead of banging my knife on the board or bring out the mortar and pestle for a larger quantity. The garlic press is quick and effective.
Oh, and simply rubbing a clove on a warm slice of crusty bread imparts the most delicious hint of garlic. I like a stronger flavour so what I do is prepare some garlic butter and keep for later use for making some quick garlic bread.
During winters my grandma used to make some ladoos with fresh green garlic and pearl millets for breakfast. The garlic warms the body and the yoghurt eaten along with it balances the heat. You can have a look at the recipe and method of cooking at Chachi’s Kitchen. The difference being that my Grandma use clarified butter and smokes the mixture with hot charcoal before making the roundels.
Garlic may not always bring good luck or protect against evil or ward off vampires, but it will transform a meal into a bold, aromatic and healthy experience.