Fresh Garlic

Unless you are one of those blessed people with an outdoor space and a vegetable garden and the opportunity to grow your own sprightly things, chances are you only ever see heads of garlic in dried form, their ivory cloves enclosed in a papery husk.

But I'm here to tell you that, as dried things usually go, those heads of garlic were once full of life and moisture, only freshly dug out from the ground in which they sprouted and grew.

This is not a particularly cheap price to pay for a single head of garlic (dried and therefore shelf-stable garlic is less costly for distributors to handle) but the flavor of fresh garlic cloves is subtle and vibrant, and a perfect match to the new crop of vegetables that typify the season — think asparagus, green peas, and thumb-sized potatoes.

Although the girth of these fresh heads of garlic is comparable to that of dried, they are in fact immature — if left to dry, they would shrink to a much smaller size — and the cloves themselves are pretty small, so the trick to getting your garlic money's worth is to use the whole thing, à la nose-to-tail.

The stalk part at the top I slice off, and use as I would a section of leek, sautéed with other vegetables, or in a soup or broth. I then break open the thick ribbed skin that encloses the cloves , and that part I slice thinly and use as I would an onion. Those two parts can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days before using, or minced and frozen.

Next, it is time to separate the cloves from one another: they are sheathed in a fleshy, waxy membrane, which I tear open to free the actual cloves, smooth-skinned and satiny, the tiniest ones no bigger than my smallest fingernails.

I keep the cloves in a small ramekin in the fridge door, ready to be used over the next few days. I usually cut them into translucent slices with a knife or mandoline — I would not feel it appropriate to subject them to the garlic press treatment — and either fry them until golden in a little oil, to be set aside and added back into the finished dish, or use them raw in salads.

As for the membranes, I turn them into a rather delicious cream of garlic.

To do this, I bring water to a simmer in a small pan, throw in the membranes, and drain them as soon as the water comes back to a simmer. I let the membranes cool and drain for an hour or so, then process them with half their weight in good olive oil (i.e. I weigh the amount of drained garlic membranes, divide that weight by two, and measure that weight in olive oil), and salt to taste.

This produces a surprisingly butter-colored, mayonnaise-like spread that is quite handy to keep in the door of the fridge: you can add it to vinaigrettes and other salad dressings, blend it into a stir-fry of vegetables as a finishing touch, or dollop it onto a piece of fish or meat. It also works splendidly on canapés and other crostini, on its own or to support other ingredients.

Number one – don't overdo it, especially when using it raw, in salads, marinades, or dressings. Garlic has a strong flavor that can quickly overpower a dish. There are only a few sauces or dishes that can hold up to a lot of garlic, like tabbouleh and pesto but otherwise, remember, a little goes a long way, and having just enough to pull its flavor through the dish is usually plenty.

If you are using it in a cooked dish, be careful to not burn it. When garlic burns it becomes bitter. Add it toward the end of the cooking process to get the maximum benefit from allicin and the best flavor.

Roasted garlic is also a delicious way to add a mild flavor to a dish or use it as a spread on bread or crackers. It has a much milder flavor without the sharp bite that raw garlic has.

To roast garlic, take a full head of garlic and slice off the top ¼ inch, so it is flat and you can see the tops of each clove. Wrap it in aluminum foil and place it in a 400°F oven for about 45 minutes. Remove it from the foil and you'll be able to squeeze the garlic out of each “pod.” It will be soft and have a very mild garlicky flavor that adds a savory, roasted flavor when mixed into sauces, spread over a slice of bread, or mixed into mayonnaise for pasta or chicken salad.

Keep the bulb intact for as long as possible. Again, once you start peeling, your garlic's lifespan decreases much more rapidly.

The best place for a whole head of garlic is somewhere cool, dry, and dark. Sound like the fridge? Think again. Instead of the fridge, opt for somewhere closer to room temperature. Ideally, garlic would be stored somewhere between 60° and 65°, but that's not realistic for most households. Just use your best judgment. For most people, the pantry is the safest spot.

Also, if you can, choose somewhere that gets decent ventilation. Don't close your garlic in a small drawer or seal it up in a bag. If you must bag it up, paper or mesh materials are much more breathable than plastic.