Garlic

Garlic is probably the most important vegetable in recorded history (really!) because of its universal value as a seasoning for all sorts of foods in virtually every cooking heritage. And if you shop at farmers’ markets or specialty stores, or if you garden, you now have more of it to love. In addition to the cured heads available everywhere, try garlic scapes, the seed-and-flower stalks that shoot up from hard-neck varieties in early summer. They’re bright green and mild tasting, and you can eat all but the toughest ends. And so-called green garlic—when the plants start to produce cloves underground but are either immature or not yet cured—has a fresh herbaceous taste that will remind you of leeks.

Preparing: Don’t bother to peel garlic before roasting it whole; the cloves will slip easily from their skins when they’re done. For raw garlic, peeling is easiest after half-smashing the clove with the flat side of a knife blade. For larger quantities, blanch the garlic for 30 seconds or toast it in a dry pan over medium heat, shaking the pan frequently, for about 5 minutes; either of these treatments will loosen the skin and make it easy to slip out the cloves. To chop large quantities, put whole cloves in a food processor. You can crush garlic through a press, but chopping is no more difficult and the flavor is more nuanced.

Best cooking methods: roasting, sautéing, braising

When is it done? Roasted: when very, very tender, almost mushy; the cloves will squeeze easily out of their skins. Sautéed or fried: It’s up to you but generally the more you cook it— gently, without browning—the milder it becomes. Don’t let it get darker than golden brown or it will be bitter.

Other vegetables you can use: shallots, onions (but they just aren’t the same