Chattahoochee Mama

If you wish to skip all the preparation we have already discussed, you can buy whole cloves of garlic, or chopped garlic in jars from your local grocery store. However, the taste is slightly comprimised and for the best addition to your recipes, I suggest preparing fresh garlic yourself. We often use a kitchen tool known as a garlic press. I definitely recommend it!

Remember, the more finely your garlic is chopped, the more pungent the flavor will be - yet cooked garlic becomes mild and sweet. Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Finely chop a couple cloves of garlic and add to chopped tomato, chopped fresh basil leaves, a little olive oil, salt and pepper to make bruschetta for topping toasted baguette slices, crackers, or hamburgers.
2. Use the garlic press to add one or two cloves to a simmering pot of store bought pasta sauce for added homemade flavor and extra nutrition
3. Use the garlic press and then spread the crushed garlic on your meats such as chicken breasts or hamburger before grilling
4. Finely chop or press a few cloves of garlic to add with a can or two of garbanzo beans and a little olive oil to your food processor or blender for homemade garlicky hummus
5. Add sliced garlic cloves to soups or stews
6. Press a clove of garlic and mix with a little fresh parsley into softened butter for a delicious homemade garlic butter - eat as a spread on your favorite bread, melt over pasta or seafood, incorporate into savory baked dishes.

There is a plethora of recipes using garlic out there - entire cookbooks center around it. I recommend using the internet or your local library or bookstore to gather some ideas that will appeal to your own family's tastes. Hot garlic cheese dip, baked garlic chicken, garlic pesto, green goddess salad dressing, garlicky stuffed mushrooms, garlicky baked stuffed clams with linguine... and on and on. Sound good anyone? Keep an eye out for one more post with a yummy recipe for roasted garlic. 

How you choose to incorporate garlic into your menu depends alot on what taste you are trying to achieve. Fresh raw garlic is very pungent, even spicy hot. It is important to note that the more finely chopped your fresh garlic is, the stronger the flavor will be. However, cooking garlic causes it to become very mild, even sweet in flavor - similarly to cooking an onion. In this post, I'll share a bit about preparing garlic cloves for use.

First, you will need to remove some of the white papery covering from the outside of the bulb to expose the individual cloves. Then you can pull out as many cloves as you will want to use.  Next, you will need to remove all of the papery covering from each clove (note: never eat any of the papery coating of garlic).  There are several ways to go about this. 

1. Purchase a small rubbery tube made just for this purpose available at most kitchen stores and easy to use
2. Just plain peel it off with your fingers, works fine just takes a little longer and your fingers will smell like garlic
3. Boil a small amount of water on your stove top and add your cloves for a very short period of time (not long enough to cook them, maybe 1 min.) - this is called blanching.  The skins will slide right off, but the taste of the garlic may be slightly dulled by the heat.
4. Lay the clove on a cutting board. Choose a chef's chopping knife with a large flat blade. Place the blade on it's side over the clove (this will be horizontal to the cooking surface, opposed to how you hold the knife to cut). Now, use the heel of your hand to deliver one firm whack to the flat of the blade, in essence crushing the clove. The paper will peel off easily. This is my most preferred and used method.

Now you are ready to slice, chop, crush, or press your garlic - or simply use the whole clove. Keep an eye open for my next Mama chef post in which I'll help you discern which method you might want to use for which kind of recipe.

My husband LOVES anything garlicky... and garlic is really good for you! So here's to learning how to prepare and use fresh garlic to give your recipes some extra yummy - and nutritious - flavor.  Because there is so much you can do with garlic, I've decided to do this post in a couple of sections. 

First, some great reasons for adding garlic to your diet include it's high nutrient value including manganese, vitamin B6 and vitamin C among others, it's ability to lessen the amount of free radicals in the bloodstream and several cardiovascular benefits, anticarcinogenic as well as antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties, though that isn't all. All that and it can add amazing flavor to your dishes!

If you are going to purchase fresh garlic, you will want to keep some tips in mind:

1. Stick to regular garlic instead of the very large "elephant" garlic, which is actually more closely related to leeks and therefore does not offer the full health benefits of regular garlic
2. Purchase garlic that is firm and not soft, falling apart, moist or moldy, or sprouting
3. Store garlic in a cool, dry place - special "garlic keeper" jars can be purchased at most kitchen stores
4. Never store garlic in oil at room temperature because there is an increased risk of botulism
5. When purchasing garlic, you are buying the "bulb" or "head" which is made up of several "cloves"

Now that you are ready to go buy and store your garlic, stay tuned for some ways to tastefully incorporate this healthy food into your family's diet!