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.