Green Garlic

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Green Garlic Pesto

 

Recipe By : San Jose Mercury, 5/8/02

Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : San Jose Mercury News 5/8/02

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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3 stalks green garlic (about 3/4C) -- in 2 " pieces,see*

3 tablespoons Italian parsley leaves

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon pine nuts -- toasted

1 dash Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan

 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add green garlic (*note: roots and

wilted parts trimmed and discarded, cut into 2-inch pieces) and blanch for

about 1 minute, less if leaves are extremely tender. Remove and place in a

large bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Drain, blot dry with paper towels

and set aside.

 

In a blender or food processor, mix garlic, parsley and olive oil. Add pine

nuts, salt and pepper. When fairly smooth (a little chunky is OK), add

Parmesan. Refrigerate in a container with a piece of plastic wrap pressed

against surface to avoid discoloration.

 

To use, toss with pasta as you would basil pesto, put a dollop on grilled

fish or mix a couple of tablespoons with an equal amount of Dijon mustard

and a squeeze of lemon and use as a marinade for chicken breasts. Adapted

from a recipe by Napa Valley chef Michael Chiarello. ARTICLE NOTES:G reen

garlic's mildness good for mixing, munching, By Laurie Daniel -Special to

the Mercury News, 5/8/02: I know it's spring when I see new bunches of a

scallion-like vegetable at the farmers market. But these aren't scallions,

as you'll discover if you pick them up and sniff. They're bunches of green

garlic, the immature, more delicate version of the stinking rose.

 

``It's a sure sign that spring has arrived,'' says David Kinch, chef at Sent

Sovi in Saratoga, along with other harbingers of the season, such as fava

beans, English peas and asparagus.

 

Like regular garlic, green garlic -- which is sometimes called spring

garlic -- is planted in the fall, but it's harvested before the garlic bulb

and individual cloves have a chance to form. Very early spring garlic

closely resembles a scallion or spring onion, with a root end that's only

slightly bulbous, tender green leaves and a very mild flavor. Later in the

season, the bulb starts to get bigger, the leaves get a little tougher and

the flavor gets stronger. And toward the end of the season, which begins in

early or mid-April and lasts until early June, individual cloves develop.

Given its versatility, it's a shame green garlic isn't around longer. I

scatter the green parts on focaccia before baking and add chopped green

garlic to roasted potatoes. It takes the place of scallions in stir-fry

dishes. It's the main ingredient in a flavorful pesto. And the flavor of the

young garlic, especially the leaves, is mild enough to eat raw, so you can

toss it in a salad.

That subtle flavor makes green garlic a popular ingredient in many

restaurants during its short season. Donia Bijan of L'Amie Donia in Palo

Alto uses it in risotto, soups, gnocchi and in a ravioli filling.

``It's got an amazing flavor,'' she says. ``It's subtle, but it makes its

presence known.'' Bijan says she uses green garlic much as she would leeks.

``I've got a love affair with leeks, and it has a lot of leek quality.''

Because green garlic can get a little fibrous as the season wears on,

Melissa Perello, chef at Charles Nob Hill in San Francisco, uses it mostly

in purees and sauces. She makes a spring garlic sauce to accompany veal

sweetbreads with potato gnocchi and braised baby leeks. The green garlic is

sliced thin and cooked slowly in butter. Chicken stock is added, and the

sauce is then pureed.

Perello particularly likes the color and flavor of the green parts.

``Sometimes, if the garlic is really bulby,'' she says, ``I cut it off

because it's too garlicky.''

Kinch's preferred method is to braise it in butter, olive oil and vegetable

stock, then use it as a garnish for roasted meat. ``It's really, really

mellow,'' says Kinch, who plans to open a new restaurant, Manresa, in Los

Gatos next month.

Green garlic is also popular in Chinese cooking -- hardly surprising, since

garlic is native to Asia. The shoots are a handy and healthful ingredient in

China during late winter and early spring, when green vegetables are scarce.

In fact, the first place I remember seeing green garlic on a menu was at a

San Jose restaurant serving Shanghainese cuisine. The accompanying recipe

for stir-fried pork with green garlic is a rough approximation of that dish.

Green garlic isn't usually available at supermarkets, although stores with a

lot of specialty produce may stock it. (Cosentino's usually has it during

the season.) It's easiest to find at a farmers market. In many cases,

farmers are selling the plants they've thinned from a field of ``regular''

garlic. But some farmers say that as green garlic's popularity has

increased, they've planted garlic that was never destined to grow to

maturity. At the farmers market, green garlic will usually cost $1-$2 a

bunch.

Live Earth Farm in Watsonville sells organic green garlic at the Willow Glen

farmers market on Saturdays and in Los Gatos on Sundays. Owner Tom Broz says

it's easy to grow at home, even in a planter box. Depending on the season,

he says, it can sometimes be harvested as early as February. And gardeners

who do successive plantings can treat themselves to green garlic all summer.

Laurie Daniel;San Jose Mercury, 5/8/02

 

 

 

 

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NOTES : Makes about 3/4 cup;San Jose Mercury, 5/8/02; x-posted

 

* Exported from MasterCook *

 

Green Garlic Soup

 

Recipe By : San Jose Mercury, 5/8/02

Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : San Jose Mercury News 5/8/02

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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1 pound green garlic (about 8-10 stalks)

3/4 pound red or Yukon Gold potatoes

2 medium onions

1/4 pound unsalted butter -- (1 stick)

1 dash Salt

2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock

 

Trim away wilted or very tough parts from garlic and discard. Cut garlic

into thin rounds or half-circles. Peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.

Peel and chop onions into small dice.

 

Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed pot, add onions and cook slowly until

translucent and tender. Add salt, garlic and potatoes. Cook about 5 minutes,

then add stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook until

garlic and potatoes are tender, about 30-40 minutes. Adjust seasoning. Soup

may be served chunky or pureed. I like to puree it a little, leaving some

chunks. Adapted from ``Chez Panisse Vegetables'' by Alice Waters

(HarperCollins, $32.50); x-posted

 

 

 

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NOTES : Serves 6;San Jose Mercury, 5/8/02