Garlic has to be one of my most loved ingredients in the kitchen. I’m always looking for new dishes to put it in! Don’t be surprised if one day you see me trying to make garlic cakes and desserts ;-). I must confess though, I was turned off of garlic for at least a week when I first got my juicer. I wrongly assumed I could use garlic in juice in the same amounts I use in cooking (lots). Well, I haven’t used garlic in juice since, not even in small amounts!
Anyway, garlic or Allium sativum is a member of the onion genus, Allium. Garlic, shallots, leeks, and onions are all in the same big happy family. It is said that people have been using this ingredient for more than seven thousand years, with it first originating in Central Asia.
Food and art seem to mix happily at my place. Above is a bunch of garlic bulbs, a pile of art and recipe books, a sketch pad, and a painting in the background.
I haven’t had much luck with growing garlic, which is not to say that it is difficult to grow, it just means that I have neglected my vegetable garden! I plan to get the growing of garlic right though as I want to rely less on the supermarket and more on my organic garden.
American celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain once wrote..
“Avoid at all costs that vile spew you see rotting in oil in screwtop jars. Too lazy to peel fresh? You don’t deserve to eat garlic.”
I kinda agree with him. I see peeling garlic as just part of cooking.
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