By Jeff Walker
Features Editor
San Marcos —
With the last few cherry tomatoes falling from their vines in our backyard, the Walkers’ first summer garden season is coming to a close. And only a handful of worm-related disasters to report.
With summer plants coming down, we spent Labor Day sifting through books, considering what we’d like — and what would be feasible — to grow this autumn.
What caught our attention? The Stinking Rose.
I sure can’t tell you how to grow garlic yet, but I’ve done plenty of cooking with it.
Called the Stinking Rose for its unique aroma and the bad breath that comes with it, fresh garlic is likely the most often used item in my kitchen. It’s often diced and thrown into a pan with a little oil before any other ingredients, serving as a foundation for soups and sauces and marinades and more. It’s healthy, it’s flavorful and count me as one who thinks it smells pretty good.
I also love to roast it. Roasted garlic is a key ingredient in Bobby Flay’s Smoked Red Pepper sauce, which I use often with chicken breasts or a firm, meaty fish like salmon or tuna.
How do you roast garlic? Peel away the outer layer of the bulb, and spread a little olive oil over the bulb and wrap in aluminum foil. Put in the oven at 450 degrees for 20 minutes or so, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.
The more you read and study recipes, the more you’ll notice that many start by sauteing chopped garlic in oil. Always be careful not to burn the garlic to avoid off-flavors, and remember that the smaller you slice the garlic — and the less it cooks — the more flavor you’ll end up with.
As a garlic lover, my general rule of thumb? Always use a little more than what the recipe calls for.
