Garlic

Garlic or not garlic... I will say garlic! 
Raw, cooked, minced, chopped, crushed or puréed, it will give character to your dish. And now you can even find garlic ice cream...Yes, no kidding.
But I know that garlic can be stinky and give you a bad breath but it is supposed to be relieved by eating fresh parsley or a bean of coffee but I think that a minty gum will do the trick. 

Cultivated for thousands of years, garlic comes from Central Asia. China is the first producer of garlic.
Over time, successive civilizations have used garlic as both food and medicine. For example the Egyptians included garlic in the daily diet of the pyramids slaves to give them strength. 
In Italy, Greece and India, garlic was used to protect against the Evil eye.
In the Middle Ages the legend was that garlic was hanged at the door to scare off vampires. 
In France, garlic was served to newlyweds on the morning of their first weeding night for its aphrodisiac and fertility properties.

Garlic is easy to grow and can be grown year-round in mild climates on chalky soil.
There are different kinds of garlic and they are all different in size, color, shape, taste, number of cloves per bulb and pungency.
The new garlic: harvested in may or june. It tastes sweeter and it is more digestible. It can be eaten raw or cooked. It should be kept for a few days in the fridge, otherwise it will dry out.
The old garlic or dried garlic: harvested in june but it is dried and sold during fall and winter. This one does not like to be cooked on high heat for a long time, it makes it bitter. The old garlic is less digestible. It is the green dry folds in the center of the garlic clove that are especially pungent. Try to remove it before cooking. The old garlic can be stored in metallic or plastic container at room temperature.

I find garlic tastier when roasted whole with olive oil. It is called "ail en chemise", meaning slowly cooked in his protective layers of skin. 
My grandma likes to put fresh crushed garlic in the salad dressing with olive oil and red wine vinegar. And she uses cloves of garlic, rosemary, thyme, olive oil and slice of bread as a stuffing for roasted chicken. It is yummy!!

Garlic is widely used around the world as a seasoning for sauce, spread, broth, marinade etc... 
Garlic is the very essence of Provence. Here are some typical recipes. 

Aioli: like a mayonnaise made with garlic and olive oil served with salted cod, potatoes and steamed seasonal vegetables. It is the official provencal garlic dish.

Rouille: like a mayonnaise made with garlic and saffron, spread on a toasted bread and topped with gruyère cheese to go with a fish soup (typical dish of Marseille with the Bouillabaisse)

Poichichade: purée of chick peas with garlic, olive oil and lemon juice. It is like Hummus without tahini (sesame paste). 

Caviar d'aubergine: purée of roasted eggplant with garlic, olive oil and rosemary. It is like baba ghanoush without tahini.

Tomate provençale: roasted tomatoes topped with a mixture of chopped parsley and garlic and olive oil. Cooked until caramelized.

Soupe à l'ail: cold soup made with poached eggs in a garlic broth and served with crouton.

Agneau a l'ail confit: braised leg of lamb with garlic cloves and rosemary. It is a typical dish made for easter.

Soupe au Pistou: cold vegetables soup with tomatoes, green beans, rice beans, zucchini and small pasta with pistou. Pistou is similar to Pesto but lighter and without nuts.

Most of these dishes are made in spring and summer with new garlic and seasonal vegetables. 
Spring is around the corner so if you are interested in the recipes just contact me!!