Today, I went to the garden and dug my first garlic of the season. I love nothing better than pulling these first delicate slips. It means spring really is here and the growing season is upon us.
Last fall, I buried many individual cloves and covered them heavily with straw. Since then, these little beauties have been sleeping away the winter. The first hint of light and warmth brings their shoots up above the ground.
When I dig them, the clove is wet and withered. I peel off that layer, and inside there is a thin shoot, looking much like scallion.
This first garlic is sweet and mild enough to put raw in salads. Tonight, we're making Miniera, a Brazilian dish that marries thinly sliced collard greens with bacon (yes, greens and bacon - a match made in heaven). A few slices of this sprightly spring garlic serves as a perfect mild flavor maid of honor.
Collard Greens Miniera
1/2 # collard greens, halved lengthwise and stems and center ribs discarded
2 slices of bacon, finely chopped
Stack the collard leaf halves and roill cross-wise into a cigar shape. Cut crosswise into very thin slices (1/8"). Cook bacon til crisp. Add collards, tossing to coat and cook until just bright green (about 1 minute. Season with salt and serve.
Gourmet Magazine January 2001
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