A taste of the old country
I’m the first to admit it: we’re pretty poor winter gardeners.
We’ve got some peas in, along with a small assortment of
greens.
But the crop that’s got me checking the garden every day or two
is a bulb in the lily family
– garlic. I conducted a quick census last weekend, and there
were 43 green fingers pushing up through the black soil.
A taste of the old country
I’m the first to admit it: we’re pretty poor winter gardeners. We’ve got some peas in, along with a small assortment of greens.
But the crop that’s got me checking the garden every day or two is a bulb in the lily family – garlic. I conducted a quick census last weekend, and there were 43 green fingers pushing up through the black soil.
Growing garlic is almost too easy. The hardest part may be finding the variety or varieties of choice. There are dozens of kinds, ranging from hot and biting to quite mild. Some heads form large cloves, some form a hard central stem.
To grow the stuff, one needs only break out the large cloves, placing each one a few inches apart and a couple inches deep.
It’s ironic that Gilroy seized its onomatopoeic opportunity by usurping the Gilroy Garlic Capital moniker. Restaurants in town lavish fistfuls of the stuff on all sorts of improbable dishes.
But the fact is that two businesses in Gilroy process quite a bit of garlic, but far more of the stuff is grown in San Benito County.
It was only a generation or two ago that the liberal use of garlic was thought to be kind of low-brow, the province of immigrants.
Now, thanks in part to Gilroy’s shameless hype, it’s become rather fashionable.
We use a lot of garlic around the house. Last night’s entree for two was tofu-based, but it was the flavor of seven large cloves of garlic that made it worth eating.
In the Mediterranean region there are many dishes that feature garlic as the star of the show.
In the southern French area of Provence, soups may be accompanied by pistou, a close cousin to pesto, but no soup features garlic more prominently than aigo bouido, garlic and sage soup. This recipe comes from Joyce Goldstein’s “Mediterranean the Beautiful Cookbook.”
Aigo Bouido
6-8 large cloves garlic, finely minced
3 large or 6 small fresh sage leaves
2 fresh thyme sprigs
6 cups water
6 oz. Vermicelli
6 egg yolks, beaten (optional)
salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
6 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Combine the garlic, sage, thyme and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 min.
Add the vermicelli and cook until the pasta is tender, a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the oil and serve at once. You may serve each bowl with a slice of toasted bread and a dusting of Parmesan, if desired.
Eggs yolks may be used in place of the vermicelli by whisking the eggs into a little of the soup, then adding it back to the pot.
The next recipe is another from Goldstein’s book, but this one comes from Greece. The simple sauce is great with simply prepared vegetables or seafood.
Skordalia
3 slices good quality white bread, crusts discarded and bread crumbled (about ½ cup)
1 c. almonds, ground
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
salt
¼ c. red wine vinegar or 3 tbsp. lemon juice
¾-1 c. olive oil
In a food processor fitted with a metal blade or in a mortar with a pestle, grind together the bread, almonds, garlic and a little salt until a paste forms. Mix in the vinegar or lemon juice. Add the oil, a few drops at a time, and process or work by hand until the mixture is thick and creamy and holds its shape when dropped from a spoon. Add only enough oil to achieve the correct consistency.
