Garlic? Don’t be sniffy
FOR almost 70 years, nobody has been held prisoner in the Tower of London – not since the early 1950s, a time when the Kray Twins were banged up for evading National Service. But one way to find yourself behind the walls of the medieval fortress could be by serving serve the Queen a plate of food laced with garlic.
Of course, I’m wildly exaggerating. Yet Her Majesty does have an aversion to the pungent bulb, banning it from ever being chopped, crushed or squeezed within the kitchens of Buckingham Palace. And other members of the Royal Family have even been told to lay off the stuff when carrying out official duties.
Those in the know blame her strict stance on garlic’s reputation for causing smelly breath. During a recent appearance on MasterChef Australia, the Duchess of Cornwall admitted garlic is a ‘no-no’ – and former Royal chef Darren McGrady once revealed ‘the Queen would never have garlic on the menu’. So, should we all fall in line and avoid garlic? Well, at the risk of sounding treasonous, absolutely not. As far as I’m concerned, garlic is a storecupboard essential that adds punch to all sorts of hot and cold dishes, and is a must-have for anyone planning to rustle up authentic Italian, Mexican and Indian food.
If you’re only acquainted with the puny white globules sold in supermarkets, there’s much more variety than you might think. Bulbs come in many different shapes, colours and sizes, with a flavour that ranges from mild and sweet to ferociously powerful.
The only way to ensure garlic really delivers is to raise your own from scratch in a sunny spot outdoors or in large pots of compost. Cloves planted in the autumn will start to grow when the temperature drops over winter, forming large bulbs that will ready for lifting from the ground in early summer.
Garlic is native to central Asia and has been cultivated for thousands of years. It was brought over to Britain by the Romans and was popular until the 16th Century, when its strong flavour led to a boycott by prim Puritans.
The vegetable found its way back into kitchens with the influx of migrants after the Second World War. Different varieties of garlic are divided into two groups – soft necks and hard necks. It’s easy to tell them apart. Soft neck ones form a mass of flexible, strappy leaves in the ground, which rise above bulbs with a white, papery skin that encloses lots of small cloves. They can be stored for months after harvesting.
Hard neck varieties form a stiff stalk that is topped with a flower head. Bulbs often don’t have an outer skin and the cloves are fewer, but larger – the flavour is preferred by gourmets. Their only drawback is they don’t store as well, so are best used within a couple of months of lifting.
Whatever you decide to grow, always start off with virus-free bulbs supplied by garden centres or online specialists. Don’t use culinary garlic on sale in shops – these bulbs are often shipped in from abroad and won’t survive our climate, or have been treated with chemicals that will prevent them from sprouting.
To plant garlic, carefully remove the papery outer casing from bulbs and then split into individual cloves, leaving the tight skin intact. Only retain fat, healthy cloves and reject any that are soft, mouldy or have any visible signs of damage.
Prepare the soil for planting by digging over and raking until the texture resembles coarse breadcrumbs – a spot that gets plenty of sunshine is perfect. Make small holes, 8in apart, pop a clove in each and bury with soil, making sure the pointy end is just beneath the surface. Water well.
Those who are strapped for space can plant garlic in 12-18in pots filled with soil-based John Innes No3 compost with extra grit for drainage. Garlic will be ready for harvesting in summer when the leaves start to turn yellow.
Puritans boycotted it because its flavour was too strong