It Is Time to Talk About.... Garlic

            Okay when it comes to certain things I am a little bit spoiled. This happens to be the case when it comes to one of my favorite ingredients to cook with: Garlic. The reason that I am spoiled is that my Uncle John grows the stuff in his garden and is obsessed with the stuff almost as much as I am. Around twice a year I get a care package which includes some root veggies, a braid of his Italian garlic and bulbs of whatever varieties he is experimenting with that year. This year it was a variety that originated in the former Yugoslavia. I will not lie; I am like a kid at Christmas when I get my hands on these beautiful piles of garlic that my dear, sweet Uncle John has sent to me. My mind starts to reel a little bit with all of the possibilities.

            My love for garlic comes from Uncle John. The man used to have garlic parties for god’s sake. They were wonderful and very smelly. We would get together at the farm of the time, a place called the Griz in the interior of BC, and we would taste garlic in all of its forms, from raw to roasted. This also lead an embarrassing moment with me on a bus the day after. To the old lady sitting next to me, I am sorry and you were very nice to endure me. But as I look back it was my uncle’s passion for this ingredient that made me love it all the more. He told me that garlic was the ultimate illustration of how a thing can change and evolve into something wonderful. Garlic goes from being harsh and pungent in it raw state to beautiful, sweet and comforting when it is cooked correctly. It is kind of like growing up. So there is the homespun philosophy for the day and I smile as I write it because it is both correct and cheesy all at the same time. I love it when that happens. So on to the food. This is for my Uncle John, garlic in its simplest form. It is also super easy and you will look like a cooking stud if you serve it as an antipasto when you have people over for dinner. So throw on some Van the Man and enjoy.

Charcuterie Platter to the tune of “Moondance” by Van Morrison.

So the amounts of each of these ingredients varies with the amount of people you are feeding so I advise that you just get a whack of stuff and let your people go wild on it.

Salamis of your choice- I lean towards a couple of choices gypsy, cappicolla, and a mild Hungarian. But it is totally up to you. Get what you like to eat.

Another meat option- again this is something you can play with, if you can find a joint in your home town that makes their own corned beef that is a great choice.

Cheese baby- you should have a couple of options here too. I go with something soft like a goat cheese and something a little firmer like a very sharp old cheddar.

Bread of some sort- baguette or whatever you think looks good when you go into your bakery.

Olives- grab an assortment.

Roasted Garlic- simple to make and the only thing you really have to cook. Take a bulb of garlic, cut the top off, fire it into a 400 degree oven until it is soft. I always roast one more bulb than I think that I will need because it always goes faster than you think it will.

Place all of these things on a nice wooden cutting board and stick it in the middle of the table and let your people go at it. All of the parts become a beautiful whole. The sweetness of the garlic marries with creaminess of the cheeses, the saltiness of the olives and the richness of the meats and allows your people to find the combination that suits them best. Like that you have a very simple yet awesome way to start a meal. So there you go Uncle John I hope this brought a smile to your face.