Its health benefits are myriad, but there are more ways to serve garlic than slice-and-saute. Use our chef’s guide to optimise both flavour and function. You’ll crush it
01 LIGHT BULB MOMENT
Quick and simple though it may be, if you want to impart gourmet flavour and generous servings of nutrients, you need to look beyond the jar of Lazy Garlic in your fridge. James Golding, group chef director of the Pig Hotel, will help you realise that healthful cooking extends far beyond the supermarket aisles.
RED DUKE WIGHT
While it looks like your average garden-variety garlic, it’s slightly stronger and hotter. But it’s good for more than just an endorphin boost: according to one study in the Journal Of Nutrition, garlic intake has been linked to a rise in testosterone levels.
RAMSONS
Its green leaves have a mild garlic taste, and you’ll see the distinctive white flowers blossoming across the UK at this time of year. All garlic has a positive effect on your heart, but this wild garlic is the best at stopping your blood pressure going, well, wild.
BLACK
Having been fermented at high temperatures, black garlic has a sweet, yeasty taste. One study claimed that the fermentation process nearly doubled its number of antioxidants, which are invaluable in helping to reduce your risk of cancer and disease.
D THREE-CORNERED LEEK
This less-common version of wild garlic found around Britain in spring is milder, sweeter and full of an antibacterial compound called allicin. Stock up on it now to help boost your immunity and fight off your fears of falling ill with a summer cold.
02
CRUSH YOUR GOALS
Yes, foraging is more labour intensive than the Tesco run, but the benefits are worth it. Between March and June, wild garlic is easy to find in British woodland. Look for its pointed, green leaf on a single stem. Break the leaf and smell it for that familiar scent. Pick plants on a slope less affected by animals and pluck leaves from the bottom, keeping the stems long.
Back in the kitchen, when you’re dealing with a bulb, there are plenty of easy peeling tricks. The best of which is this: crunch it with your palm and empty the cloves into two silver bowls close them together and shake for 20 seconds. Inside, the skin will have come loose. From there, preparation determines the intensity of flavour. The more you mince it, the stronger it becomes. To flavour a steak in a pan, say, you need but a hint, so press a knife on a clove to crush it slightly. For a punchier flavour in sauces, however, pass it through a garlic press (wayfair.co.uk has some good options). Be generous – your health, if not your breath, depends on it.
02 FORAGE FOR FLAVOUR
03 PICK OF THE BUNCH A
