Besides olive oil, lemons, and chili pepper flakes, garlic holds a serious stake hold in my kitchen. Rare is the meal where it is absent. And yet, all this time, I have steered clear of green garlic at the weekly market for fear of not knowing how to cook with it or what it might taste like once I did take the leap. Luckily, moving to the East Coast where Spring sets in a good two months after it does on the West, gave me the chance to revisit all of Spring’s bounty again. (It’s a little like Groundhog day – eating strawberries and asparagus yet again in the same year!) So I grabbed a bunch this week, and boy have I been missing out! Green garlic is immature garlic that looks a bit like a spring onion or scallion and tastes like garlic’s sweeter, more mild cousin. I made a delicious green garlic pesto I used on a pizza (I’ll share on Friday) that tasted heavenly.
- How to Pick: Look for bright green, fresh tops with no saggy leaves or brown spots.
- How to Store: You need to eat green garlic faster than its dry counterparts. You can put the shoots in a glass of water or wrap them in a damp paper towel then put them in an unsealed bag in the refrigerator.
- How to Prepare: You can use the entire stalk, from green tip to white bulb, no need to peel the outer layers. Just trim the roots off and the top of the green stalks, then finely chop or dice into soups, eggs, pizzas…just about anything that welcomes a garlicky taste.
- Recipe Ideas: The Food Section has a super simple and delish Fresh Pasta with Green Garlic and the New York Times features a slew of green garlic inspired recipes including Potato Gratin With Bacon, Green Garlic and Gruyère and Artichokes With Green Garlic Dip. Check back on Friday for my green garlic pesto pizza with asparagus!
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I love green garlic! Had it with taleggio cheese on a pizza from Globe and this past week as pickled green garlic for pan chan at NamuSF. Looking forward to reading about your pizza!
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