In our home garlic is a side dish. You don't have to be Italian to appreciate this smelly little wonder food. Garlic is touted to fight certain types of cancer. It can also fight colds and flu. Garlic lowers cholesterol and blood pressure. It also alleviates nasal congestion.
If you are having dinner guests and you are not a great cook, all you have to do is fry some garlic and everyone will swoon over the aroma. Pour some olive oil into a fry pan, add raw garlic and cook on low heat for the best results. Don't burn the garlic as it will stink up your house for days.
The Egyptians used it as a way to build physical strength. The Greeks used it as a laxative. Chinese folks used it to lower blood pressure. During the Middle Ages it was believed to give immunity to the plague. In the19th century Louis Pasteur said garlic had antiseptic properties.
Folklore says garlic will keep Vampires away. The truth is that many studies and much research has been done to prove garlic's powerful effect. It is effective against viruses, bacteria, fungus, and parasites.
10 cloves of raw garlic will inhibit blood clotting. How does one eat 10 cloves of raw garlic and still keep their friends and family? The odor alone drives wild horses away.
I recommend a fresh pesto recipe. Pesto in Paradise recipe is an excellent example of how to prepare a raw garlic dish and also have a tasty food. The pesto can be spread on bread or added to cooked pasta just before serving.
Allicin is the chemical found in garlic that reduces cholesterol levels and lowers blood pressure. It keeps platelets in your bloodstream from clumping and reduces blood clotting. Garlic may reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease.
Garlic's anticancer potential is huge. It has been thought to reduce or prevent breast, skin, lungs, colon and esophagus cancer. Garlic in medicinal doses should be taken in capsule form due to the high concentration needed.
There is a downside to eating large quantities of garlic. It causes bad breath. If eaten raw it tastes bad. It has a hot taste and sometimes bitter. Do not put raw garlic directly on your skin as it will irritate. Your body will exude the smell of garlic if you consume it in mass quantities. The chemical allyl methyl sulfide can't be digested and goes directly into the bloodstream. When you cut or crush garlic this triggers a sulfur like compound stored in the cell wall. That's what all the stink is about.
A great way to get the smell of garlic out of your body is to go into a hot sauna. If you do not have a hot sauna, sit in your car on a hot day with the windows rolled up and sweat it out. Drink lots of water and please check with your doctor before sitting in a hot car.
Roasting garlic is easy. You will need:
Olive oil
Garlic cloves in a bunch
Parsley and Oregano
Salt
Aluminum foil
Shallow baking pan
You can roast one bunch of garlic in the same amount of time as it takes to do 20 bunches. You must cut the top of the garlic bunch straight across. This might be a challenge to some of you garlic novices. Trust me, you will get the to the skill level I have achieved with practice, practice, practice.
Place the bunch in an aluminum foil pouch made from a square of foil. Before sealing the pouch add seasoning to the top of the garlic bunches and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. You can also add butter. I never cook with butter. I should have a cooking show that cooks great recipes, but without butter. My show would be called: Butter Not. This is just a personal preference.
After you season and add olive oil to the garlic pouch; seal the foil, leaving the opening side upward so none of the juices spill. Bake these little garlic pouches on a bake sheet in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. The garlic will cook in the oil and caramelize gently and transform into a sweet treat. All you need to do then is to squeeze the cooked bunch of garlic and the spreadable garlic insides are ready to enjoy.
Garlic links:
http://www.gilroygarlicfestival.com/
