We are very excited to be harvesting our first crop of garlic here at Eckert’s! We planted garlic on the farm in the fall of 2012 and we have our first of the harvest available in the Country Store in Belleville now.
Probably like most of you, I am very familiar with dried or cured garlic but I have never used fresh garlic. Fresh garlic bulbs are fleshy and soft and they smell amazing. As you extract the cloves from fresh garlic, be sure to cut the outer layers of the garlic bulb carefully. It is quite different than peeling the outer layers of cured garlic you will need the help of a knife.
Fresh garlic has a milder flavor than cured garlic allowing me to use it generously in this garlic marinade recipe without overpowering the meat. At home, we are using fresh garlic in everything from salad dressings to baked pastas. I am also drying some garlic bulbs in my pantry for use through the fall.
You can also use the flower stem of garlic plant, known as “garlic scapes.” These curly green stems can be cut into ½ inch segments and sautéed in butter or olive oil. I serve them on roasted potatoes or onions and they are also excellent in stir fry recipes.
For the following recipe, I marinated 10 pieces of bone-in chicken in the frig for two hours before handing it off to my husband Chris (also known as grill-master of our household!). The result was incredibly juicy and tasty chicken. The worst part about the recipe…not a single piece of chicken left over. This is a definite repeat for our family of 4!
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 small sprigs fresh rosemary, torn (optional)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons lemon zest
Combine ingredients with a whisk. Pour over chicken or fish to marinade. (We recommend 2 hours for chicken and at least 30 minutes for fish.) Turn periodically during marinade process. Discard marinade and grill as desired.
Eat well this summer,
Angie
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