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ImageHere we are frozen into our homes, emerging only for work, designated play, and occasional digging out of the birdfeeder and the chickens as the paths drift-in. Just the other day I took the roast bones out of the freezer and simmered up a hearty meat stock for an ‘All-Together Soup’.

“What is an ‘All-Together Soup’ ?”, you may say. You root through the fridge, the cupboards, the dry spices and throw everything you find in the broth, all together. You do have to make a few discretionary decisions, such as herb theme. Some of the stronger herbs like cumin, cilantro, basil, mint, and oregano do not share well together. The general rule of thumb is to pick a dominant herb and fill in the soft notes with lesser herbs like: parsley, onion, garlic, sage, rosemary, bay leaf, and thyme.

Another choice to make is which starch will carry the base- potato, rice, or pasta. Potatoes can be cubed and cooked in the broth with the vegetables. Rice and pasta are better cooked separately and added to the bowl as it is headed to the table. This keeps the rice and pasta from soaking up all the broth or becoming soggy.

The soup was delicious! But it needed a little more something. Ah yes, if I made it again I would add more garlic. What is it about garlic? It makes you happy. Garlic sings of summer days, far away places, and the richness of simple moments. What makes a spaghetti dinner way better? Garlic Bread.  What makes a crostini more excellent? A little roasted garlic spread. What makes a boring green olive astounding? A clove of pickled garlic nestled within. You get the idea.

Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a member of the onion family. A bulb of garlic, the most commonly used part of the plant, is divided into numerous fleshy sections called cloves. The leaves, stems, and flowers (bulbils) on the head are also edible and are most often consumed while immature and still tender. A delightful pesto can be made in the late spring and early summer from pureeing young garlic leaves with olive oil, grated parmesan, and pine nuts.

Historically, garlic has been used since before the time of Christ. In ancient Egypt, garlic was used to flavor foods and heal illness. Garlic is a powerful natural medicine. Hildegard of Bingham, a healer and erstwhile Saint in England, chronicalled it’s uses. Harvard educated, Integrative medicine guru, Dr. Andrew Weil suggests eating raw garlic everyday for its antibiotic/ antiviral/ antifungal properties. (Wikipedia).It has abilities to lower cholesterol and reduce clotting of the blood. It can also help lower high blood pressure.

Garlic in its fresh form is sharp, and pungent. The fresh oils may even be strong enough to cause a burning sensation. Mid-Eastern countries will use garlic in its strongest form, pressed or chopped into salads, humus, and other specialty dishes. A Greek grandmother we know advises, ”make small cuts in the flesh of the lamb and insert garlic cloves all over the roast, then rub with dry spices and drizzle with olive oil.” Heavenly! Most of us prefer garlic in a more mellowed form: roasted, steamed, or sautéed into vegetables or soups.

Garlic has a bad rap for polluting the breath and oozing out of sweaty pores a day later. Raw garlic is the prime culprit, eaten without the mellowing agent of parsley leaves and shoots. Chlorophyll naturally neutralizes the sulfer compounds that are to blame for the stink.

Garlic preparation is varied. There are tricks to the trade.

  • To remove dry skin- 1) either take a wide chopping blade and press the flat side onto the individual cloves on the cutting board. The clove will collapse popping the dry skin loose easily.  2) or put the cloves you wish to prepare into the microwave with a paper towel on top. Cook for 20-25 seconds or until you hear a pop. The steam of the cooking clove will pop the dry skin loose. The garlic flavor will be pre-mellowed using this technique, similar to a roasted garlic flavor.
  • Chopping raw garlic fine is easier if the garlic is placed in the freezer for 15-20 minutes first. •    Fresh garlic cloves can be pressed using a hand press. The results are a medium fine paste, but then you have to clean the press
  • For garlic bread (1 loaf), I put 4 T. butter and 1/4 c. olive oil in a shallow saute pan. I chop the garlic fine by hand (3-4 cloves) and simmer gently in the melted butter/oil mix. Take off the heat before the garlic gets crisp and DO NOT BURN or you will have to throw it out, clean your pan thoroughly and start over. Browned garlic picks up a bit of a bitter taste. Use a designated pastry brush to brush the garlic and oil onto each side of the bread. Wrap in foil and put in the oven for 20 minutes at 350. Crack the foil back away from the crust for the last 5-10 minutes to crisp the crust up.

*Try the Garlic Soup recipes in the recipe section. They are yummy!

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