Garlic cloves: a precious ingredient in the kitchen

Garlic Cloves: a precious ingredient rich in health benefits, widely used in Mediterranean cuisine. It is known for its very strong aromatic charge, which can sometimes be a deterrent for social interactions! But there are many ways to use it, allowing you to enjoy its benefits while avoiding this issue.

Garlic Cloves: What are the origins and characteristics?

Garlic cloves: garlic belongs to the Lily family and has ancient origins, with 5000 years of cultivation. While typical in Mediterranean cuisine, the first cultivations are located in Central Asia.

Since then, it has been administered to those performing work requiring great strength and physical endurance, such as slaves, soldiers, and athletes. Thus, its beneficial properties have always been known.

Fresh garlic or garlic buds differ from dry garlic due to their compact, solid cloves enclosed in a bulb. The film that envelops fresh garlic is hydrated due to its water content, giving it a greater aromatic charge, but more delicate and refined compared to the dry variety. The stems of fresh garlic can also be used, which taste similar to shallots or chives.

Garlic is a base ingredient in our cuisine, particularly used to create sauces to dress pasta with a very consistent flavor and aroma.

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Why is garlic good for health?

First of all, garlic contains substances that activate upon contact with air: the intensity of its aroma, therefore, depends on the type of cut. The thinner it is cut, the greater the intensity. Thus, if you don't want it to be too strong, you can simply cut it in half.

Each clove of garlic contains allyl sulfide and allicin, making it a natural antibiotic that can reduce bad cholesterol levels in the blood and improve cardiovascular function. Furthermore, garlic has numerous nutrients such as potassium, selenium, iron, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins like A, B, and C.

Are you worried about bad breath? To cleanse your mouth and avoid this problem, you can chew parsley, mint, or coffee beans.

Why use garlic cloves instead of powder?

Garlic powder is very useful, especially when time is short for cooking. It is usually used with a mix of spices to dry-marinade meat or fish, or to create sauces, dips, and batters for frying. It has a long shelf life in the pantry without losing its nutritional properties. Therefore, it can be a valid substitute, particularly when you are not very skilled at cutting garlic.

In fact, there are various ways to cut garlic and each leads to a different aromatic result. An incorrect cut can impart too strong a flavor and overpower the recipe's ingredients. Be careful when preparing it to always remove the inner sprout, which is difficult to digest.

In dishes where texture is important, such as emulsified sauces and dips, peel the garlic and grate it finely. In Genoese pesto, for example, the best method is to mortar the peeled garlic until it becomes a paste: it retains its flavor but without the pungent note. To sauté mushrooms or vegetables in a pan, the flavor of garlic is usually used more decisively: in this case, peel the clove and chop it, or julienne it.

How to use garlic cloves in cooking?

Garlic cloves are particularly used in cooking when you want to benefit from the aroma without imparting the strong taste of garlic to the dishes. In this case, it is advisable to peel a clove and smash it with the flat side of a knife. Sauté it in oil without letting it darken and remove it before adding the other ingredients.

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Garlic is widely used for preparing roasts and dishes that require slow cooking. In this case, you can leave it in the pan as the long cooking helps to mellow its sharpness.

Here’s a very useful trick for imparting an unforgettable flavor to dishes: before cooking, you can rub the walls of the pan with a peeled garlic clove, whole or halved, without adding it to the preparation.

In what recipes are garlic cloves used?

Garlic can be used as a featured ingredient in many typical Italian recipes, such as the bagna cauda from Piedmont, where the garlic is present cut into cloves; marinated garlic, to be nibbled as an appetizer, where the cloves are marinated with vinegar, white wine, pepper, bay leaves, juniper, sugar, and cloves.

Garlic in cloves adds flavor to soups, minestrone, stir-fried vegetables, sauces, and salads. When garlic is a featured ingredient, make sure it is an excellent product, such as the BIO garlic in net from Gusta Bio from Brio Spa, one of the leading companies in the organic sector in Italy.

Gusta BIO garlic is sourced from Italy or the European Community; it is healthy and certified organic. Indeed, Gusta BIO bases its work and philosophy on seeking the highest quality of its products. That’s why with Gusta BIO garlic, every dish will have a unique and unmistakable aromatic intensity.

Garlic-based recipes: Genoese pesto

The most famous garlic-based recipe in Italian cuisine is undoubtedly the Genoese pesto. Let's see how to prepare it following tradition. Get 50 grams of basil, two cloves of garlic, 15 grams of pine nuts, 70 grams of Parmesan cheese, 30 grams of Pecorino, 100 ml of EVOO, salt to taste.

Clean the basil and gently dry it with a soft kitchen cloth to avoid breaking the leaves. In a mortar, crush the peeled garlic. Add a pinch of salt and the basil leaves, continuing to pound. When the green liquid starts to come out of the leaves, it’s time to add the pine nuts. Keep mixing and add the cheeses and oil in a slow stream, a little at a time.

The secret to making a great pesto is the preparation time: it should be as short as possible to prevent the ingredients from oxidizing. If you prefer to use a mixer instead of a mortar, use the lowest speed and proceed in bursts to avoid raising the temperature of the mixture. At the end of the process, store it in the refrigerator for an hour before using it. The pesto can be kept in the refrigerator covered with olive oil, or frozen for a longer time, thawing it before use.

And there are many more recipes, among which the most famous is definitely spaghetti aglio olio e peperoncino, which – if you are feeling more adventurous – can be turned into a garlic oil and chocolate dish, of which we propose the recipe here!

Garlic Cloves: precious gems of Italian cuisine! Follow our tips to prepare healthy and always tasty dishes. Enjoy your meal!

S&M