Cooking school: Garlic, how to make the most of it
The advice of the chefs of La Scuola de La Cucina Italiana and a recipe with scallops
There are so many types of garlic and for each of them as many regional varieties. The garlic can be white or red, with a more pronounced taste, or pink, slightly more delicate. There is also black garlic, which is actually fermented white garlic. The most common types of garlic used at home are certainly white and pink garlic.
By now we know that garlic has beneficial properties for the body, so much so that it is defined as a natural antibiotic, as well as being antibacterial and purifying, especially if eaten raw.
If you are not using garlic as a medicine, you may want to make garlic taste more delicate and less persistent. This can be done in different ways, some simpler and commonly used, others more demanding.
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Let's see how best to use garlic with the advice of the ghefs of La Scuola de La Cucina Italiana, starting from the basics.
Garlic shirt
The clove is lightly pressed and crushed with the skin, placed inside the preparation and then removed.
Garlic cut
The clove is first of all peeled, cut in half and stripped of the internal bud, also called "core", which is the most difficult part to digest. If chopped, it is usually used as fried, in this case the flavor will be more intense. Alternatively, you can cut into fins and fry, for example to complete a plate.
Aromatic oil
The cloves or heads of the whole garlic are cut in half with the skin, poured into oil and heated to a maximum temperature of 70°C for a few minutes to release the aroma into the oil. Once cold, the oil must be filtered and stored.
Garlic Purea
An interesting use, less widespread, but replicable also at home, is to prepare a garlic puree to be used, for example, as a side dish of meat with delicate cooking (such as steaming), or to be combined with other preparations for flavouring them, as in the case of mashed meats, sauces, risottos or soups.
The garlic puree can be prepared in two ways, one that will give a more delicate taste, the other more intense.
Delicate method
Once peeled and the centre part removed, the segments must be bleached, i. e. immersed 7-8 times in boiling milk (about 100 ml) for about 2 minutes, in order to reduce the flavor too strong. At each dive the milk must be changed. At that point the stewed garlic can be smoothed until it forms a cream. To lighten it further, add a spoonful of cream.
strong method
In this case the whole garlic head is used, without cleaning it. Cut the upper part, wrap everything in aluminium and bake in the oven for 35 minutes at about 140°. After letting it cool and discarding it, wring the garlic head to bring out all its flesh. You can add a little oil and use the mixture in the desired preparation. If you have courage you can spread it directly on bruschettas and croutons!
One recipe: Coconut slices with puttanesque scallops and coconut garlic cream
Ingredients for 4
8 Pulp scallops
200 g Tomato sauce
50 g Toasted black olives
20 kg Capers
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Thyme
Tarragon
1 Garlic
500 ml Coconut milk
Preparation
Boil the garlic twice in water, always starting from cold, then the third time repeat the operation with coconut milk and reduce by 3/4. Remove the scallops' flesh from the shell. Heat the tomato sauce. Scrap the scallops in a pan. Place the sauce in the center of the dish, lie over the scallops then finish with herbs, capers, olives and to finish the light garlic cream.