How to Use Garlic

A few quick recipe ideas and a “how to” video

I have created a series of “how to” videos, as I found a common theme in my virtual cooking classes. People were getting by in the kitchen, but were not sure how to cut, chop, mince, or dice their veggies properly. Sure, they were getting the job done. But they could be much more safe and efficient if they learned the proper way.

Today, we are going to talk all about using garlic. I have a love-hate relationship with garlic, but more about that later.

Do you know how to chop, mince, and crush garlic? There are so many ways and in this video I demonstrate three of my most used ways. 

Garlic is the base of so many dishes. It is an aromatic that spans food cultures around the globe. In Asian dishes, garlic is often used along with ginger to start the cooking of a dish. In Latin cuisine, garlic is part of the sofrito which is the base of many dishes. In Italy, garlic is used in raw sauces like pesto and is also used to flavor many cooked dishes. 

One little clove imparts so much flavor into food, yet some people can’t stand it. Have you ever had so much that it seeps out of your pores and people around you can smell it on your body and breath? For some people, it does not take much for this to happen. In addition, some people don’t love to bite into a chunk or clove of garlic as it’s got an intense flavor unless it’s cooked down.

Click the image to watch the "how to" video

For that reason, I love the grating method using a microplane grater. I want that glorious flavor in my food, but I don’t want to bite into the garlic. The microplane grater breaks down the garlic into fine pieces, so that when you add it to a dish it disperses throughout, and every bite has the flavor. You can accomplish a similar effect with a garlic press. The reason I prefer a microplane grater is it can be used for other things like grating ginger and zesting citrus fruit. In general, I am not a fan of having a tool that doesn’t multitask in my kitchen.

There are those times when you are making a dish and you want to see the garlic in it. It makes for a better presentation and also allows the diner to eat around it if they wish. This is when I slice the cloves. Two dishes I make where the garlic is sliced are garlicky green beans and shrimp scampi. When you work with garlic this way, you have to make sure you add the ingredients before it starts to brown (or it will be burnt by the time the dish is done!).

For example, with the garlicky green beans, I add the garlic to the hot but not smoking oil in my pan and let it cook for less than a minute before I add the green beans. Once the green beans go in, the temperature of the pan lowers and the garlic gets a chance to flavor the green beans without burning.

When do I use the crushed clove method? If I were making flavored oil, I would drop a few crushed cloves into the oil to allow them to impart their flavor. For the most part, the crushed cloves are going into one dish…..my marinara sauce. This sauce is a recipe from my Grandmother and can be made in a pinch so you never need to open a jar of sauce again. All you need is a can of crushed tomatoes, garlic, oil, salt and pepper. In a large pot, I heat up some olive oil and then add in as many crushed cloves of garlic I am in the mood for.

Let the garlic start to release its aroma, but don’t let it brown. Add in the crushed tomatoes and your seasoning, and put a lid on the pot with a slight vent to allow some steam to escape. Let the flavors marry for about 15 minutes and the sauce is done! You will need to taste and adjust the seasoning to your preference. Remember that salt brings out the flavor in food so start with some salt, taste to see the difference it made and add more as needed until it tastes perfect to you. Before serving, I remove the cloves of garlic as they have done their job and remember, I don’t want to eat the whole cloves. Some people will spread it on a piece of bread and it is delicious.

Have you ever had roasted garlic? I could eat it for days. It gets soft, sweet and nutty in flavor. It’s great added to olive oil or spread on crostini as an appetizer. The easiest way to roast a bulb of garlic is to slice the top of the bulb of garlic off to just reveal the cloves inside. Place in a sheet of aluminum foil, drizzle olive oil over the top and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Seal the aluminum foil tightly leaving room at the top for steam to get trapped on the top of the bulb of garlic. Place in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes or up to an hour. Your garlic is done when it is very soft. To extract the cloves, let the bulb of garlic cool enough so you can handle it. Holding the bulb of garlic from the bottom with the cut side facing down, squeeze the bulb of garlic until all of the cloves come out. This is great to serve at a party, but keep the bulb intact and leave a few small knives or spoons out for guests to help themselves.

If you found this information valuable, you might enjoy my seasonal virtual cooking classes as this is the kind of information I share during my classes. Check them out HERE.

If you have questions about other ways to use garlic or if you have had issues with garlic you would like me to address, please send me a message at debbie@theeffortlesskitchen.com.

And if it’s a foodie travel adventure you are after to taste firsthand how garlic is used in different cuisines around the world and especially in Italy, join my travel list here.

See you in the kitchen or on my next food adventure!

Debbie