I grow my own garlic.

Of course I do. I know, I know, obnoxious, right? Are you tired yet of reading about the stuff I do beyond the ordinary, the unusual stuff? I hope not.

I do it because I like trying different stuff, the things my cooking sensei, the extraordinary Martin Betonio, late of the Fountainbleau Hotel and the Epicure Market in Miami Beach, encouraged me to try—and occasionally fail—to make me a better and more rounded chef.

Martin was my spirit guide.

So…garlic…

First off, you should try it. Doesn’t take much space; my garlic patch is four feet by four feet, with about 50 fragrant hard-neck heads, due to harvest in mid to late June. With very little effort. And there’s plenty of sources of seed garlic, at your local garden center or on the Internet. And do a little bit of research. Just a little, and don’t be afraid.

Simply jam a bunch of seed cloves about six inches deep into composted soil about six to eight weeks before the ground freezes (I’m in central PA), cover with soil and lots of mulch; I use a straw bale, plentiful and cheap in late fall. The cloves will sprout leaves; leave ’em be. Then wait till spring. A couple of feedings with blood meal and lots of spring rain, and before you know it, it’s garlic season.

Can’t wait till late June? It’s still April here, and any day now the scapes will appear. Scapes, you say? What’s that? The scapes are the plant’s flower buds, like the flowers that shoot out of tulip bulbs. They’re attractive, but don’t let them grow. When the buds appear, cut them off at the base; the plant will turn its energy toward the bulbs, so that they grow fat. The bulbs are the gold, anyway—big heads of lovely, tasty garlic, ready when most of the green shoots turn yellow and brown. Then dig ‘em up (carefully, so you don’t damage them, clean most of the dirt off, and hang them by the greens to dry in a cool basement. They’ll keep a long time; mine last mostly through the winter, and the flavor and aroma are vastly superior to that grocery-store stuff—which probably comes from China on boats (imagine how much Chinese garlic will cost this fall (thanks, Donald).

But wait…what to do with the scapes you just cut? Heavens, don’t throw them away. They make the most delicious pesto, with or without basil—I make mine without basil, and what a surprise. Just cut off the buds (toss them—not much you can do with them) and whizz them up with your usual pesto ingredients—Parmesan, lemon juice, salt, pepper, olive oil, and dip with chips or smother a bunch of pasta and enjoy.

Here’s the plan:

Ingredients:

• 1 pound garlic scapes, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 ¼ cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Kosher salt andground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Blend garlic scapes, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper together in a food processor until smooth.

Recipe tip:

Garlic scapes are abundant at farmers’ markets and CSAs (community-supported agriculture shares) in spring.

Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 10 mins

Servings: 28 

Yield: 3 1/2 cups

I’ve mentioned before, and posted recipes for, sourdough bread, using my wonderful aged and active San Francisco-born starter. I keep my starter small, to reduce the amount of discard (having worked in a large commercial production kitchen, I hate discarding ANYTHING!). My starter regimen is this: from my daily starter feeding, I retain 5 grams of starter, add 20 grams whole-wheat flour, and 20 grams of spring water, and save the remaining starter in a 1-pint Mason jar. When I have about 200 grams of discard I make something with it, like lemon and olive oil quick bread, zucchini-and-carrot quick bread, banana bread, or my favorite, herb-and-garlic focaccia. Adding the discard to my focaccia recipe produces an incredible extra layer of flavor that sings, and it keeps me from wasting beautiful ingredients. In addition, making foccacia allows me to experiment with flavor combinations using other concoctions I make myself, such as garlic-infused olive oil, lemon-and-fennel coarse salt, tomato sauce, jalapeno relish, pickled red onions, and home-grown pepperoncini peppers.

But here’s the basic focaccia platform, based on a recipe from Grace in My Space, which has become one of my go-to sources of all things sourdough.

INGREDIENTS:

• 170 grams sourdough discard (preferably fed at some point in the last 72 hours)
• 284 grams lukewarm water (90-105 degrees F)
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 225 grams high-protein bread flour
• 280 grams all-purpose unbleached flour
• 2 tsp fine pink Himalayan or sea salt

PREPARATION:

1. Begin by dissolving 170 grams of sourdough discard in 284 grams of warm water in a mixing bowl. Mix in 1 tsp of instant yeast and let sit for 10-15 minutes to let the yeast bloom.
2. Add 225 grams of bread flour (spooned) and 280 grams unbleached all-purpose flour. Turn your mixer onto level 1 and mix ingredients with a dough hook attachment. Once the water-and-flour mixture is combined, add 2 tsp (11 grams) fine salt and continue mixing on level 3-4 until the dough is smooth and pulling away from the sides of the mixing bowl (the amount of time you allow your dough to mix will depend on your mixer, starter hydration, and temperature. Start with 4-5 minutes and then check your dough. When it is ready, it will not be too sticky to the touch and will stretch easily.
3. Cover your mixed dough with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1-2 hours until it has doubled in size. I do this in the oven with the light turned on.
4. Once your dough has doubled in size, line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper. Drizzle 2 tbs. of high-quality extra-virgin olive oil in the bottom of the lined pan and spread with a basting brush.
5. Dump your dough into the oiled pan, allow it to rest for 10 minutes, and use your fingers to spread it evenly to all four corners of the baking pan. Add 2-3 more tablespoons of olive oil to the top of the dough.
6. Then, add your fresh herbs and lightly dimple the dough further with wet fingertips to push the herbs into the dough.
7. Once the herbs are added, cover the pan with plastic wrap and let rise another 1 hour.
8. When the dough has completed its second rise, top with flaky salt, red onion, and minced garlic. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 15 minutes.
9. After 15 minutes, lower the temperature to 450 degrees and rotate the pan 180 degrees, to help it bake evenly. Bake at 450 for 7-12 more minutes, until the top of the dough is nicely browned.
10. Remove the focaccia from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack before slicing.

TOPPINGS:

• 5 tbs high-quality olive oil, divided
• Flaky sea salt (I use Maldon salt, sometimes the smoked variety)
• 1/8 of a red onion, sliced thin lengthwise
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 3 sprigs chopped fresh thyme (1 tsp dried thyme alternative)
• 2 sprigs chopped fresh oregano (1 tsp dried oregano alternative)
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped (or not!)

NOTES: Some alternative foccacia toppings, or use your imagination for others.

• Freshly harvested home-grown rosemary and garlic, using garlic-infused olive oil
• Butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, and raisins (often soaked in rum or brandy), and glazed with a milk-and-10X sugar glaze
• Kalamata olives, cherry tomato halves, and rosemary
• Freshly made tomato sauce, mozzarella, oregano, and assorted pizza toppings of your choice

This is the vegan chocolate cake I made for dessert with last night’s supper for the in-laws.  It’s perfect, simple, and surprising.  Serve it with a small dollop of vanilla ice cream.  My choice is Kim Zanni’s Vanilla Bean Gelato di Babbo.  If you haven’t found Kim’s monstrously good gelatos, go out and find it, or demand your grocer get in into their store.  Imagine this:  it’s low-fat.  On my Weight Watchers’ plan it is only three points, which offsets the hundreds of points the cake is (only kidding).  Make sure you allow the cake to cool completely in the pan before you unpan it, as it is prone to breaking apart if you unpan it too soon.  Still yummy, but you’ll be tempted to eat the broken parts (not necessarily a bad thing!).

Ingredients:

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 ½ teaspoons ground ginger

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup strong brewed coffee, room temperature

½ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup crystallized ginger, coarsely chopped (optional)

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Spray a square 8-inch baking pan with oil or baking spray or dust with cocoa powder.
2. Sift the cocoa, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and brown sugar into a large bowl.  Combine coffee and oil in a small bowl.  Beat the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula or whisk.  Stir in the crystallized ginger (if using), and quickly stir in vinegar.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick placed into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack, then turn the cake out onto the rack and cool completely.  Serve, dusted with confectioners’ sugar or cocoa powder, with hot tea, cider, or mulled wine.

I can’t believe how good this recipe turned out.  It’s simple and delicious.  I served this for supper last night, and incredibly, the kids ate all their vegetables!   Use fresh Parmesan cheese for the last-step sprinkle.

Ingredients:

• 5 to 6 cups cauliflower florets, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter (from 1 medium cauliflower)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sliced garlic
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• Chopped chives, for garnish

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Place the cauliflower florets in a large saute pan or a roasting pan. Drizzle the olive oil over the cauliflower, and season with the garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Place the saute/roasting pan in the oven and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even roasting. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately while still warm.

Here’s a recipe I tried last night for company.  Really good, and really simple.  What makes it work is fresh rosemary.  I think dried rosemary would overwhelm the delicate sweetness of the fig sauce.  Made it for the in-laws last night with garlic roasted cauliflower and sweet potato fries.  Great supper.  Great recipe.

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
2 tbsp olive oil
15 fresh figs, halved
1 tsp sweet paprika, divided
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
1 ½ cups red wine

2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Sprinkle chicken with ½ tsp paprika, salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large pan. Add chicken breasts and brown both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Add wine and figs, and sprinkle rosemary (reserving 1  teaspoon) and remaining ½ tsp paprika on top. Turn heat to medium, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 12-15 minutes.

Move chicken from pan to a plate, and let it rest covered.

Whisk the butter into the pan sauce, turn the pan to low-medium, and let reduce without a cover for an additional 10 minutes, until thickened.

Divide chicken breasts among plates, place figs on top, and drizzle sauce over the chicken and figs.  Sprinkle fresh chopped rosemary on top and garnish with a piece of a fresh rosemary sprig.

Way good!

Here’s a terrific old family recipe for chicken chowder, passed down through my wife’s family.  The only place I’ve seen it is on a stained recipe card.  But it’s really good.

Hearty Chicken Chowder

 Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, 3 pounds

5 cups water

1 cups sliced carrots

1 cup diced celery

1 medium onion, sliced

1 bay leaf

6 peppercorns

1 teaspoon parsley flakes

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 ½ cups milk

¼ cup butter (1/2 stick)

½ pound sliced mushrooms

2 teaspoons snipped chives

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup corn

¼ teaspoon dried (or ½ teaspoon freshly chopped) thyme

Shredded cheddar cheese

Preparation:

1.  Place first 10 ingredients (chicken through ground pepper) in a soup pot; cover and bring to a boil, then simmer until the chicken is tender, (about 45 minutes).  Strain broth, reserving vegetables, discarding the bay leaf, and picking the chicken off the bones.  Discard bones.

2.  Mix broth and milk.  In a saucepan, melt butter; add mushrooms and chives and sauté until soft, 3-5 minutes; add flour and blend.  Gradually stir in broth, continuing to stir until the soup thickens.  Add salt and thyme, corn, chicken, and reserved vegetables.

3.  Simmer 10 minutes longer; then serve in heavy bowls, topped with cheddar cheese.