Ingredient

Glorious Garlic

This storied kitchen staple packs a flavorful punch.

BY KATHERINE LAWLESS

Garlic has certainly made an impact on cooking and culture. Most famously, Eastern Europeans have claimed it wards o vampires, but its spiritual significance dates back much further. Dr. Louis E. Grivetti, professor emeritus in the Department of Nutrition at the University of California, Davis, says there are records dating back to ancient Greece and Egypt showing garlic being used to protect against evil spirits, speci cally the “evil eye,” a curse believed to be cast through a malevolent or envious glare. Love for this ingredient has even inspired the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California (the state that produces 90% of the United States’ garlic crop), an annual event with live music, gol ng, and some of the best garlic in the world.

Garlic’s strong avor is incredibly versatile, making it a staple in most every kitchen. Fresh, raw garlic and garlic powder are used in countless dishes around the world, including Greek skordalia (garlic potato) spread, Spanish garlic soup, Mexican birria tacos, adobo from the Philippines, and toum Lebanese sauce and dip (see right).

Powerfully avored garlic is o en grouped into the herb family because it is used to season so many foods, but it’s actually a vegetable. Like onions, the raw garlic bulb you buy at the store grows in the ground and has a green stalk. Encased inside this bulb are eight to 20 cloves of garlic—the part that you peel and eat. Garlic can be eaten raw but is also often eaten sautéed or included in spreads for crackers and breads.

Garlic’s popularity as a healthy ingredient is well earned due to its high nutritional yield. Vitamins B6 and C, iron, and potassium are just a few of the nutrients packed in garlic’s bulbs. Garlic’s singular avor and health bene ts both stem from the same nutrient: allicin. According to the Cleveland Clinic, a few small studies have indicated that when allicin is crushed or cut, it releases both a strong flavor and maximizes its antioxidants that might boost immune health, improve blood pressure, and lower cholesterol. It’s far from a superfood, but it is a avorful additive with bene ts, making it popular with both amateur cooks and herbal medicine practitioners.

To best reap these benefits, first make sure your garlic bulbs are stored in a cool, dry place. When cooking, it is best to use crushed raw garlic that is allowed to sit before being sautéed or added raw to a meal. Generally, the longer you cook garlic (or if you cook it on too high of heat), the more bitter it becomes, so nding that balance is important.

Another popular way to maximize garlic’s flavor is by roasting it in the oven. Cut the bulb of garlic in half, then wrap it in aluminum foil and bake it in the oven at 400°F for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and nd that the garlic cloves easily ooze out of their peels and have an intensi ed, creamy and nutty avor. Roasted garlic is an excellent addition to a charcuterie board or as a spread for your garlic bread. ■

Toum

MAKES 4 TO 5 CUPS

This Lebanese garlic sauce is the holy grail of spreadable garlicky goodness. It is a simple mixture of garlic, neutral oil, lemon juice, and salt that is often drizzled over grilled chicken, shawarma, kebabs, and grilled vegetables and makes a great dip for bread, crackers, and raw vegetables.

1. Peel 1 cup (4 or 5 bulbs) garlic. (See Kitchen Skills on page 8 for a handy gadget.) Add the garlic and a pinch of salt into a food processor and blend until well minced. 2. Slowly add 3 cups of olive oil, blending often to ensure the ingredients mix well. Once the sauce is looking creamy, you can mince more intensely. Slowly add another cup of oil and ½ cup lemon juice into the food processor and mix well until you have a light-colored, yet spreadable mayonnaise-like sauce. 3. Place toum in the fridge overnight, so ingredients mellow together and enjoy the next day. It will keep in an airtight container up to 1 month in the refrigerator.