Part of the lily, or alium, family, of which onions are also a member, garlic is one of the most indispensable ingredients around, and plays a central role in Mediterranean and Asian cookery. A bulb composed of many individual cloves enclosed in a thin white, mauve or purple skin, it’s quite fiery, pungent and crunchy when raw. As it cooks it becomes more mellow and creamy.
It’s mainly available dried, but fresh (also known as ‘wet’ or ‘green’) garlic, which has a mild flavour, can also be found in some stores in season.
Kept in an open container in a cool, dry place, dried, will last for a couple of weeks. Separated cloves will keep for up to 10 days. Wet garlic should be kept in a cool, dark place and will last up to a week.
Use dried garlic raw in dressings, salsas and butters; roast whole bulbs (25 mins) or individual cloves (20 mins) to serve with roast meat; fry (slowly, for just a couple of minutes) to use as the base for sauces, casseroles, soups. Roast fresh garlic (25 mins).