Our crop of the week from the allotment is gourgeous, glorious garlic. We used it in our pork and vegetarian casseroles that went out as part of Lunch club on wheels and we also sent people a couple of bulbs to use at home.
If you have an excess of garlic there are loads of ways to preserve it;
Freezing: Break open the garlic bulb to remove the cloves, and for each clove chop off the ends and peel away the skin. You can freeze the garlic cloves whole themwhole, but I finely chop mine and freeze the chopped garlic spread out thinly (for ease of breaking off a chunk when it’s frozen). You can just pop the frozen chopped garlic straight into the dish when cooking.
Garlic paste must be stored frozen, as home-made garlic paste can cause botulism if kept at higher temeratures! Home-made garlic paste is easy to use- freeze it in ice cube trays and then scoop a cube out to use in cooking. You can add chilli, lemon or herbs to create different flavours.
So you need; 1 bulb of garlic, oil, optional: additional flavourings, such as chopped fresh chilli, lemon zest or dried herbs
To make it: Break open the garlic bulb to remove the cloves, and for each clove chop off the ends and peel away the skin. Put the peeled garlic cloves into a blender and cover with oil, then blend until the cloves have been completely mixed into the oil. Add any additional flavouring you want to use and blend again. Pour the garlic paste into ice cube trays or small airtight containers and freeze.
Preserving in vinegar: This is the easiest method for preserving garlic, provided you have dextrous fingers, with no chopping or blending required. These preserved cloves will keep in the fridge, sealed in the jar, for up to 3 months. When all the garlic has been used up, use the leftover garlicky vinegar, mixed with an equal amount of oil, as a delicious dressing for salad or green vegetables.
To Make it: 1 bulb of garlic red or white wine vinegar 1 level teaspoon salt Break open the garlic bulb to remove the cloves, and for each clove chop off the ends and peel away the papery skin. Place the peeled cloves in a small clean dry jam jar with a lid. Pour over enough wine vinegar to cover, add the salt, screw on the lid and shake to distribute.
With thanks to Bags of help for supporting our Lunch club. See www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp for more details
