Healthy garlic adds pizzazz to
EVERTHING!
If there is one essential herb to the modern cook
it has to be Allium Sativum. Whether it is crushed, minced, or
whole, garlic adds zest to any recipe. However you like to use
it, garlic must be FRESH! Throw out the garlic salt, get rid of
the garlic powder, fresh garlic is the king of flavors. Readily
available in every corner of the country, fresh garlic is just
as easy to use as the powdered stuff.
Garlic is native to central Asia and also grows wild in Italy
and France. Garlic has been used since ancient times. Inscribed
on the great pyramid in Giza, Egypt is the amount of garlic eaten
by the builders. Pliny tells us it drives away snakes and scorpions
and Mohammed says to apply it to stings or bites of poisonous
animals.
I love garlic. I can barely cook without it and I am not alone.
The popularity of garlic is growing. The Gilroy Garlic Festival,
near San Jose, CA, had an attendance of 15,000 people in 1979.
Now the three day festival attracts between 130,000 and 140,000
people.
Besides keeping Vampires, away garlic has many health benefits.
It has been used to aid digestion, lower blood pressure and to
relieve coughs and colds. In 1990 the World Congress of Health
devoted a conference to the health significance of garlic. They
found garlic reduces LDL "bad" cholesterol and increases
HDL "good" cholesterol by 12% if you eat 8 to 9 cloves
a day!! That's a lot of garlic, but luckily you can now get it
in pill form. Ask your local health food store for more information
or call the Garlic hotline at Cornell University (1-800-330-5922).
If you have never had roasted garlic you are in for a treat.
Roasting releases the natural sugars in the garlic then caramelizes
them creating a unique flavor. Try substituting roasted garlic
for regular garlic. It will give your recipes an interesting sweet
yet savory twist.
Roasted Garlic Appetizer
5 whole heads garlic
5 teaspoon olive oil
1 baguette
8 ounces goat cheese
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Clean the garlic heads of any discoloration. Slice the top off
the head exposing the tips of the cloves. The end of each clove
should be visible. If the side cloves are not visible cut these
individually.
Place the garlic in an oven proof dish with the cut ends up and
drip a teaspoon of olive oil over each head. Bake for 30 to 45
minutes or until the skins are a dark brown and the cloves are
a caramel color.
Let the garlic cool slightly, then serve with fresh bread and
goat cheese.
The title of this recipe says it all. This is only for the really
serious garlic lover.
Garlic, Garlic, and more Garlic, Roasted Chicken
1 - 7 lbs. chicken
3 heads garlic, approx. 40 cloves
1 stick of butter, softened
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup white wine
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Slice a third of the garlic into slivers. Wash the chicken well
and then with a sharp knife pierce the chicken all over. Place
the sliced garlic into the holes you have made as well as under
the skin of the chicken. Place a third of the whole cloves into
the chest cavity. Put the chicken in a roasting pan and scatter
the last third of the cloves into the pan. Rub the chicken all
over with butter.
Roast covered for 30 minutes and uncovered for 45 minutes. Check
that the juices run clear, then remove the bird from the pan.
Place the roasting pan over medium high heat. When the drippings
begin to bubble sprinkle the flour into the pan while stirring
constantly so lumps do not develop. Slowly add the wine and stock
continuing to stir. Cook the sauce until it thickens and the flour
taste is cooked out. Strain out the garlic and any lumps. Serve
chicken and sauce hot. Serves 6.
Food is life. May the plenty that graces your table truly be
a vast repast.
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