Garlic has always been a staple of my family’s pantry. Garlic is
sweet and mellow when it is roasted. It can also be bold and sharp
when it is added to a dish in its raw form.
Garlic has always been a staple of my family’s pantry. Garlic is sweet and mellow when it is roasted. It can also be bold and sharp when it is added to a dish in its raw form. The absolute best way of experiencing these two extremes in garlic and many others can be found next weekend at the Gilroy Garlic Festival.
The Gilroy Garlic Festival is one of the premier food festivals in the world. The fame of the Garlic Festival is so wide-spread, just mentioning “garlic festival” conjures immediate thought of the one and only Gilroy gathering. Although there are other garlic festivals around the country and the world, there is something a little extra special about the one in Gilroy. It is the feeling and essence of community, giving and history.
I remember attending my first Gilroy Garlic Festival. I was 7-years-old. I knew my adventure that day was very special. It was as if the childhood dream of visiting a candy factory and tasting everything had come true. But it wasn’t candy, it was garlic, and in my opinion, much better!
I had pasta, shrimp and other delicacies, all with the unique flavor of garlic. At the time, garlic ice cream was not developed yet, but I am sure I would have been pleading to be in line too.
When I was a child, I didn’t shy away from garlic like other children would have. At a young age, garlic wasn’t just a simple love affair. I adored garlic with every fiber of my being. This could have been seen as very strange behavior, especially for a child.
If I was visiting Gilroy when garlic was being processed, I was excited that the whole city was scented with garlic. I also chewed garlic as if it was a piece of hard candy. It seemed like I could not get enough garlic.
The year after my first visit, my class went on a field trip to a learning farm. Growing up on a farm and around agriculture, I knew I was not going to be too impressed with the sheep, corn and trees that we were going to see on that day. After my group was assigned our tour guides, we were asked what we wanted to see that day. “Garlic,” I shouted proudly while wearing my Garlic Festival t-shirt.
Until then, I never had the chance to see garlic growing close up, but I was in for a treat that day. I finally saw it. Garlic was growing right out of the ground, and its long stem and leaves were waving in the breeze. Perhaps it wasn’t the breeze. Maybe the garlic was actually waving at me, inviting me to grow with it much like it was growing.
Adding garlic to your grilled favorites is very easy. Any grilled recipe you enjoy can benefit from a few cloves of crushed garlic. One favorite and simple way to enjoy garlic from the grill is on grilled garlic bread.
There are good ways and not-so-good ways to prepare this staple of the grill. I don’t care much for the method where butter is melted and mixed with chopped garlic. The bread is dipped into the garlic butter mixture and in my opinion, absorbs the butter without much garlic flavor.
The way I make grilled garlic bread is simple and takes advantage of some Italian influence. Olive oil is used to chop the garlic in a food processor and softened butter is added and mixed until it is well incorporated. Not only is this a slightly healthier alternative with the addition of the olive oil, but it also helps the spreading of the mixture and the melting of the butter. The amount of butter and olive oil is just right and will not be overly oily.
Speaking of Italian influences for garlic bread, I must also mention the “original” garlic bread, called “bruschetta” or “fettunta” by the Tuscans. In this version, a raw garlic clove is rubbed into grilled bread, which breaks up the garlic much like a fine cheese grater or microplane would. Then the bread is drizzled with some olive oil. Salt and fresh cracked pepper can be added for an additional dimension of flavor. It is very simple, but also very delicious.
It has been more than 15 years since I have attended the Gilroy Garlic Festival. While writing this, I feel inspired to attend this year. It would be nice to taste so many of the treats that I had so long ago. I would try the garlic bread, especially since the money generated goes to benefit so many local causes. Of course, now I will be able to try the garlic ice cream too.
Grilled Garlic Bread
From Mitch Mariani
Serves 6
1 loaf of crusty Italian or French bread
06-8 or more garlic cloves, peeled
1/3 cup olive oil
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning Mix (optional)
Step 1: Mince the garlic cloves with olive oil in a food processor, scraping the sides of the processor bowl at least once. Add the softened butter and the optional Italian seasoning mix. Continue mixing until well incorporated.
Step 2: Slice the Italian or French bread lengthwise. Spread half of the garlic butter mixture on each half of bread.
Step 3: Towards the end of your grilling session, lay the bread on the grill over indirect heat, garlic butter side up, and close the lid. This will allow the garlic butter mixture to melt into the bread. Grill the bread indirectly for about 5 minutes.
Step 4: Once the butter mixture is melted into the bread, turn the bread. This time, place the bread over direct heat to allow the garlic butter side to toast. The fine pieces of garlic will roast and caramelize. This will take an additional 5 minutes depending upon the remaining heat of the grill. Slice and serve.
Simple Bruschetta
From Mitch Mariani
Serves 6-8
1 baguette-style loaf of bread
4-6 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste (optional)
Step 1: Slice the baguette, on the diagonal, into one-inch slices.
Step 2: Grill the sliced bread directly over medium heat, two minutes on each side. Do not allow them to burn.
Step 3: Rub one side of each piece of grilled bread with about half of a garlic clove. Drizzle with olive oil. If you choose, add a dash of salt and pepper to each piece of toasted bread.
Step 4: Serve the bruschetta on a decorative platter and serve.
