World Garlic Day, Garlic a Superfood! - Les Gastronomes

World Garlic Day, Garlic a Superfood!

Michel Karkour

Garlic is a versatile product, while we all know how to use the regular garlic in the kitchen or to eat it as a garlic cream with chicken. The World Garlic market is dominated with garlic from China; however we tend to forget eating garlic from independent farmers. In addition there is Black Garlic a superfood with many health benefits.

At Les Gastronomes we love Garlic! And we have several ideas on how to use it.

  1. Raw Garlic on empty stomach. Garlic is a natura antibiotic and when eaten on an empty stomach before breakfast it helps improves your immune system, combat bacteria’s and help with hypertension. With summer starting fresh garlic will even have a better effect.

Our recommendation is to have a small teaspoon of diced garlic, (remove the germ as it is not good for digestion) using in season Label Rouge or AOP garlic (quality is important)

 

  1. Toum, Aioli or Garlic Cream, another application using raw garlic. With simple ingredients such as Garlic, lemon, salt, olive oil & sunflower oil.

Our recommendation is to use fresh garlic, best in the summer as the freshness and moisture content makes it mellow and flavorful (floral), to which we add lemons (Menton, Sicily or Amalfi) the quality of these lemons allows us to have the lemon taste with low acidity, once again bringing flavor. Then you add some fleur de sel, at Les Gastronomes we hate highly processed salt which doesn’t give much added value. Then start dripping your Olive Oil a good Extra Virgin Olive oil is recommended, while purist will only make it use EVOO, we recommend to spilt 50/50 with sunflower oil to keep the garlic cream light.

You can eat as you do normally with garlic cream, however with Blue Meat Radish or Red Meat Radish this makes it an excellent appetizer.
2 heads of Purple Garlic IGP,  
200 ml Extra Virgin Olive oil, Juice of half a Menton lemon, Fleur de sel

 

  1. Wild Garlic or Ail des Ours, is a leaf garlic. Available only during spring it is as flavorful as the normal garlic.

Our recommendation is to use it making Pesto sauce!


100 g wild garlic, 30 g pine nuts, 30 ml extra virgin olive oil or a little more, 30 g grated parmesan or pecorino roman, Fleur de Sel

  1. Black Garlic, while it is an ingredient it is a superfood particularly rich in antioxidants, enjoy the virtues of black garlic on your plates. Its health benefits are numerous, we can count among them improving blood circulation and reducing hypertension, anti-cancers & anti-tumoraux, improving immune system, fighting respiratory problems, improving cardiovascular issues, reducing fatigue & helping with weight control.

Black garlic has a melting and soft texture, slightly tangy and sweet, which could remind you of thick balsamic vinegar/glaze. Hence you can use it in similar preparation.

Open sandwich with burrata, tomato, olive oil, black garlic & balsamic or to be in full swing season how about having in a vinaigrette with White Asparagus!

 

cloves black garlic, 30 ml cup white balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon  salt, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 100 ml extra virgin olive oil

To make vinaigrette, blend all ingredients except the olive oil in the bowl of a food processor

Process the ingredients until the black garlic has been completely incorporated with the rest

With the food processor running, slowly add the olive oil, blending until the dressing has thickened.

 

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