Garlic

About

A small amount of garlic sharpens the flavor of meat, seafood, green vegetables and even truffles, adding definition and a slightly succulent quality. Infusing oil with a whole clove gives a mild flavor, while raw, crushed garlic is much more potent. Softneck garlic is more common commercially and easier to grow, while hardneck varieties tend to have better flavor, showing hot, sweet, earthy, metallic, fruity, nutty and floral notes; elephant garlic is milder and botanically closer to leek. Garlic is also sold powdered, flaked, as paste, salt, or pre-chopped, though these forms tend to lose the aromatic complexity of fresh cloves.

Pairs well with garlic

• EaPotatoSkordalia is a Greek dip made by beating pounded raw garlic into mashed potato with olive oil and a splash of vinegar or lemon juice,…
• FrTomatoPa amb tomaquet is a Catalan staple eaten at nearly every meal: day-old toasted bread rubbed first with garlic, then with a cut tomato so…
• WoAlmondAjo blanco, a cold Spanish soup, blends raw garlic with almonds, softened stale bread, olive oil, and iced water, then finishes with…
• CiGingerGinger is the mild one -- fresh and light, good at drawing out sweetness in meat, seafood and greens -- while garlic is coarser and more…
• EaMushroomGarlic intensifies the flavor of almost any mushroom, but has a special affinity with shiitake, which contain lenthionine -- a compound…
• MeBeefGarlic strengthens beef's savory character.
• BeMintGarlic and mint are often kept apart in French cooking, but Turkish cooks combine dried mint and garlic into salted yogurt served with…
• MaShellfishGarlic dramatically amplifies shellfish flavor, reaching a high point with stewed clams -- as in spaghetti alle vongole, where garlicky…
• MePorkAdobo, the Filipino stew often called the national dish, leans heavily on garlic alongside fatty pork, vinegar, soy sauce, bay leaves and…
• MeChickenChicken with 40 cloves of garlic, a classic Provençal dish, roasts a whole chicken alongside unpeeled garlic cloves; the garlic turns…
• GrChiliAglio, olio e peperoncino, spaghetti with garlic, oil and chili, is a simple late-night Italian dish, not always on restaurant menus but…
• MeLambAt old-school Barcelona grill restaurants, thick lamb chops are often served with a fierce garlic aioli that mellows and sweetens each…
• SuOnionGarlic and onion form the backbone of most savory cooking, but some traditions avoid them deliberately: Chinese Buddhist monks classify…
• MaOily FishThis dish, adapted from Patricia Wells, treats tuna the way the classic chicken-with-40-cloves-of-garlic treats poultry -- swordfish works…
• BrMisoIn Japan, "you smell like miso" is a class-inflected insult aimed at country folk, much like the garlic-smell jibes used elsewhere in the…
• SuCornCooked corn releases dimethyl sulphide, a compound also central to garlic's flavor, which is why the two are often paired: each amplifies…
• MuMustardAntoine Maille, who founded his eponymous mustard house in 1747, pioneered flavored mustards including garlic and truffle versions, both…
• ChGoat CheeseA goat cheese and garlic pizza has stayed on the menu at London's Orso for decades -- roasted garlic's sweetness softens the cheese's…
• GrParsleyParsley is reputed to counter garlic breath, and the two are often paired directly: finely chopped together with breadcrumbs for a…
• SuCauliflowerCooking and puréeing cauliflower and garlic together intensifies both their flavors, similar to a cauliflower cheese made with very ripe…
• WoWalnutAillade, a sauce of pounded garlic and walnuts from the Languedoc region, dates back centuries and was admired even outside France despite…
• GrFennelGarlic's warm, assertive character balances fennel's cooler, more reserved sweetness when the two are cooked together, softening a…
• EaLentilRed lentils cook down into a soft mash, typically simmered in about three parts water to one part lentil (they keep absorbing liquid as…
• BrAnchovyAnchovy's saltiness and garlic's pungent sweetness combine intensely in dishes like anchoïade, a chilled Provençal dip of pounded garlic…
• GrCilantroSofrito, a base of slow-cooked onion, garlic, tomato, and sometimes bell pepper, varies by region; in Puerto Rico it includes cilantro and…
• GrKaleKale is milder and less sulfurous than its cabbage relatives once cooked, and garlic can supply the pungency it's missing.
• BrOliveA whole garlic clove stuffed into a green olive looks striking but doesn't deliver much flavor payoff -- it mostly just adds an odd, firm…
• EaRyeDark rye's spicy, tar-like flavor stands up well to raw garlic's punch, as in the Lithuanian snack kepta duona: strips of dark rye bread…
• BeRosemaryGarlic and rosemary are a robust combination suited to outdoor cooking -- barbecued lamb, pork or rabbit, roast potatoes, garlic bread --…
• SuCabbageCavolo nero, a refined Tuscan cabbage variety, suits simple preparation: blanched, chopped and fried in garlicky olive oil, then served on…