Garlic: How to use it in soup, sauces, salad dressings

Garlic is fundamental in my cooking. It’s not that I use a lot in each dish, but in many dishes I make, it is there, bringing its unique aroma, pungency, heat, and sometimes mellow nuttiness. One thing I learned in my chef days was how versatile the herb is, depending on how it’s prepared. Drop a peeled whole clove into a stew, and it will add a mellow perfume to the dish. Push it though a garlic press or grate it into arrabiata sauce, and the pungency and heat is a punch to the palate. Basically, the more cell wall destruction there is, the stronger the aroma and flavor. Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic show off garlic’s mellow properties. Credit: Shutterstock. The most mild prep would be unpeeled whole cloves, then peeled cloves used in a stew or alongside a roast chicken or beef roa