Our favourite flavour By The Canadian Living Test Kitchen

This garland of garlic recipes will keep this "rose" blooming on your table year-round.

Photo:
Chicken Braised with Lemon, Fennel and Garlic
Photography by Michael Alberstat

Garlic is an incomparable accent in many dishes. The flavour it imparts depends on the season, the amount, the variety and the preparation. For all garlic fans here's a garland of simple, robust recipes, each highlighting the plant in its many different forms.

Great garlic
• When selecting a head of garlic, look for large, clean, firm bulbs with unbroken, dry skins.
• Remove any green shoots from cloves because they give a bitter taste that persists even when garlic is cooked.
• Store garlic in a cool, dry place where air can circulate. Refrigerating garlic inhibits flavour and dehydrates the cloves.
• To peel garlic, place clove on cutting board and gently press with side of knife until skin starts to break. Discard skin.
• Garlic can be either minced with a sharp knife or crushed using a garlic press. The Canadian Living Test Kitchen prefers mincing garlic to reduce bitterness and strong flavour, especially when garlic is used raw.
• Cooking time affects garlic's strength: the longer cooked, the less the taste and smell, and the more milder, slightly nutty the flavour.
• Although a head of garlic varies in size and shape, it usually contains 10 to 15 cloves.
• For quick roasted garlic, place peeled cloves in small saucepan with small splash of oil. Cover and cook over low heat, shaking pan occasionally, until tender and golden, about 15 minutes.

Super scapes
• Garlic scapes are the flower buds and tender stems of the garlic plant. They are harvested in JUne, after which the plant can grow a large bulb, or head, or garlic.
• A scape is a long, curly stem with a white tender bulb and a curly yellow-green stalk about 18 inches (45 cm) long. When young and tender, the stalk is curly. As it matures, it straightens out and becomes tough and unappetizing. So look for the curl.
• To store scapes, wrap in towels, enclose in plastic bag and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
• To prepare scapes, trim off any tough or stringy stem ends and snap off any yellowing tips from flower ends.
• Raw scapes have a strong, peppery flavour, but after cooking, they are sweet and mellow.