Oh the Sweet Smell...
...of Garlic!
Sitting so comfortably on the couch with Clark by my side, my lap was full of an aromatic delight. Fresh garlic bulbs split open, dried in the sun, and now ready for peeling. The 9x12 pan that rested 'neath my busy fingers held hours of work. But Clark and I waded patiently through the task, picking one clove after another, carefully twisting each one and removing the skin. Much smaller than garlic from other parts of the world, the peeling is an arduous task, one not for the feignt of heart.
"Why can't we just whack it with a knife like Rachael Ray?" you ask?
Well, in this delightful nation, garlic is used in just about every dish. Usually in combination with ginger, onions, tomatoes and cilantro. Garlic is everywhere. Rather than taking the time every day to break open the garlic, crush it, chop it, or whatever process for which the recipe calls, homemakers and chefs alike use garlic paste (... or more specifically ginger-garlic paste). It is a must. A staple. Something the cuisine cannot be made without.
Therefore, about once a month, we sit patiently with a pan full of sun-dried garlic, faithfully preparing it for the puree, unwrapping each tiny little clove, true gifts from the kitchens of heaven. All we need is a big, white farmhouse, rocking chairs, a screen door and the soft gentle summer breeze of the country. Substitute garlic for snap green beans and it's as if we never left the good 'ole US of A.
Careful to wash my hands several times with fragrant soap after the task, I do admit that I would not like my hands to smell like garlic for the rest of the week. But it would be a good reminder of the love and care put into the delicious Asian fare that emerges from my kitchen day after day.
Garlic. Peel some today.
~lk
Sitting so comfortably on the couch with Clark by my side, my lap was full of an aromatic delight. Fresh garlic bulbs split open, dried in the sun, and now ready for peeling. The 9x12 pan that rested 'neath my busy fingers held hours of work. But Clark and I waded patiently through the task, picking one clove after another, carefully twisting each one and removing the skin. Much smaller than garlic from other parts of the world, the peeling is an arduous task, one not for the feignt of heart.
"Why can't we just whack it with a knife like Rachael Ray?" you ask?
Well, in this delightful nation, garlic is used in just about every dish. Usually in combination with ginger, onions, tomatoes and cilantro. Garlic is everywhere. Rather than taking the time every day to break open the garlic, crush it, chop it, or whatever process for which the recipe calls, homemakers and chefs alike use garlic paste (... or more specifically ginger-garlic paste). It is a must. A staple. Something the cuisine cannot be made without.
Therefore, about once a month, we sit patiently with a pan full of sun-dried garlic, faithfully preparing it for the puree, unwrapping each tiny little clove, true gifts from the kitchens of heaven. All we need is a big, white farmhouse, rocking chairs, a screen door and the soft gentle summer breeze of the country. Substitute garlic for snap green beans and it's as if we never left the good 'ole US of A.
Careful to wash my hands several times with fragrant soap after the task, I do admit that I would not like my hands to smell like garlic for the rest of the week. But it would be a good reminder of the love and care put into the delicious Asian fare that emerges from my kitchen day after day.
Garlic. Peel some today.
~lk
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