Hood River Organic Seed Garlic - Recipes - Garlic, Softneck, Hardneck

Wash scapes. Cut off flower tops if they are large and tough, just cut off brown tips and scarred (cut) end if the flower part is tender. Cut scapes into 2 inch pieces. Place garlic scapes and 1/2 olive oil in a food processor. Blend until chopped into small pieces. Chop nuts to small pieces. Place Parmesan, nuts, lemon juice, zest, basil (if desired), remaining olive oil and sea salt in food processor and blend until desired consistency. Enjoy with your favorite pasta, baguette or crackers.

This recipe can be enjoyed right out of the food processor, or placed in small mason jars or Zip lock freezer bags and placed in the freezer. It will store in the freezer for up to one year. Enjoy!

Tri-colored green Split Pea Soup

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

In large pot over medium heat, sauté oil, onion for 5 minutes, or until onions are translucent. Add water, peas, barley, bay leaf, garlic, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add carrots, celery, potatoes, parsley, basil, thyme, pepper. Simmer 1 hour, or until the peas & veggies are tender

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

7 cloves garlic, minced

2 lbs chopped tomatillos

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

1 roasted Anaheim Pepper seeded and minced

2 cups chicken stock

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1/2 chopped fresh cilantro

Salt & pepper to taste

1/4 cup sour cream (optional)

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Saute the chicken breasts in the olive oil until both sides are browned; approximately 4-5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken and set aside.

Add onions & garlic to saucepan & saute until brown. Stir in the tomatillos, peppers and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover the pot and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Puree vegetables in batches in a food processor. Return to saucepan & reheat. Slice the chicken into thin slices & then pull apart. Stir shredded chicken into soup. Add salt & pepper to taste. When ready to serve, stir in the minced cilantro. Put a dollop of sour cream on top of each portion and stir it in slightly. Serve immediately.

Guacamole Recipe from Roger Rushton:

8 Avocados cut in half then scoop out of shell (no mashing)
1 - 2 limes, use lime press to squeeze halves (stir lightly to coat avocado)
2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3/4 sweet onion chopped
3 Tbsp mayo
1 bunch Cilantro chopped (mix lightly again)
1-2 tsp Sea salt (used to make the Garlic paste)
9 Garlic cloves (the best part)

I) Peel & chop garlic. Then use the salt to make a paste. I run the knife blade over the garlic 3-4 times pressing fairly hard with the salt mix to make the paste.
2) Roma tomatoes cut in half then 3rds and diced mixed in again lightly. Serve with tortilla chips or bean burritos.

Fresh Garden Salsa

I like to call this “garden salsa” because in August and September you can get most ingredients right out of your garden.

3 medium ripe tomatoes*, cut into small pieces
1 small onion, sliced into small pieces
4 garlic cloves, chopped
4 jalapeno or Serrano chilies, chopped
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon oregano
Black pepper to taste

*you can substitute tomatillos for tomatoes

Place all ingredients into a Cuisinart or Mini Chopper and mix until blended. Serve chilled with chips or on your favorite Mexican dish.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

10 organic potatoes, washed and quartered
1/3 cup butter
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bulb roasted garlic (even better with 2 bulbs of garlic!)

A fabulous recipe of Garlic Mashed potatoes for the holidays!

Cut tips of garlic off with sharp knife. (for hardneck be careful cutting through the hardneck, it’s really hard). Drizzle olive oil over neck of garlic so the oil drips down into the cloves. Bake garlic in garlic roaster, or cast iron pan covered with foil.(see below for three ways to roast garlic) Bake at 400 degrees for 30 – 35 minutes until softened. (Squeeze to test for softness) Roast garlic ahead of time, so garlic has time to cool before you have to squeeze out of clove skin.

Bring 2 quarts of water to boil in large sauce pan. Clean and quarter 10 medium sized potatoes. No need to peel if using organic potatoes. Add potatoes to boiling water and boil potatoes for 20 minutes until a fork slides off when pierced.

While potatoes are boiling, squeeze roasted garlic out of peels by squeezing from the tips of the cloves. Squeeze all cloves into small dish and set aside.

When potatoes are cooked, drain off water and return back to sauce pan. Add all ingredients and evenly distribute garlic cloves over all ingredients.

Mash with electric mixer or hand masher until smooth and creamy. Top with extra butter if desired.

Roasted Garlic ~ 3 ways to roast garlic

#1 Roasted Garlic on the Barbeque:
Select some nice big bulbs with large cloves. Siberian makes an excellent choice for BBQing because the cloves are so big. Cut off the tips so the cloves are exposed.

Wrap with aluminum foil so the tips are pointing up keeping foil loose for seasoning. Drizzle some olive oil on the exposed cloves and salt and pepper to taste. Now wrap the foil tightly around the bulb. Place on the grill over medium heat and cook for twenty minutes. You can test for doneness by squeezing with a pair of tongs. The garlic is ready when the bulb is soft and you can squeeze it with the tongs.

Slice a baguette lengthwise and lightly toast on the top shelf of the BBQ. Spread the garlic on the baguette by squeezing the clove. It should spread as if you were squeezing it from a tube.

#2 Roasting Garlic in a Terra Cotta Garlic Roaster:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Take three or four large bulbs and cut the tips off exposing the cloves. Drizzle with olive oil then shake salt and pepper over them.
Place in oven at 350 degrees and bake for twenty minutes. Use a pair of tongs to squeeze the bulbs to test for softness. When the garlic is soft you are ready to eat. Spread onto thinly sliced French bread and enjoy.

#3 Roasting Garlic Cloves in a Cast Iron Pan
This is a great way to roast garlic in the oven if you have lots of loose cloves. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. This preparation requires the cloves to be peeled first, so peel about ¼ pound of cloves and place in a small cast iron pan. Sprinkle with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Place in oven and bake for twenty minutes. Test by piercing with a fork.

Now you are ready to spread onto your favorite bread or add to potatoes for Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

*Note: You can always bake garlic this way when you are roasting anything. I use whole cloves of garlic whenever I roast a chicken or pot-roast. They cook in the meat drippings and turn out delicious.

Garlic scapes in Ice Cubes recipe from Saundra Ruzbasan of Unionville, CT;

Chopping up scapes and putting with a little water into ice cube tray is great for marinades,soup dips etc. You can pop them out of trays and put in zip lock bags and save room in your freezer.They are a little coarser than chives so sometimes I "bruise" them up a little after defrosting to release more flavor. I even used them in salsa's.So nice not to waste them and their flavor.

Home made Pizza with Sauteed Onion, Peppers and Garlic Scapes

Dough ingredients

3 Tsp yeast (one packet)

2¼ cups white flour

2¼ cups whole wheat flour

To prepare crust, place yeast in large mixing bowl and add warm water to dissolve, stir in olive oil. In another bowl, mix the salt and flours together and then knead them into the yeast mixture. Cover bowl with a towel and let rise for 30 to 40 minutes.

2 cups organic marinara sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup garlic scapes - about 6 scapes cut to 1/4 inch pieces
1/2 cup green pepper, diced
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp corn meal
1/4 cup fresh basil - chopped into thin slices
crushed red peppers to taste

*Ingredients makes two pies. *Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a sauce pan over medium heat add olive oil. Allow oil to heat up. Add onions, peppers and scapes to oil. Saute for five minutes, stirring frequently.

Cook until tender. Set aside. Prepare your pizza dough's. I place 1 Tb sp flour on small dish and roll pizza dough onto flour then toss with fists. Put corn meal on pizza stone or cooking sheet. Carefully lay out pizza dough on stone. Add one cup marinara, one tablespoon at a time, evenly spreading over dough. Add one cup mozzarella, evenly spreading over marinara. Add 1/2 of garlic scape mixture, evenly spreading over cheese. Top with 1/2 the basil. Place in preheated oven for 18 to 22 minutes. Test center of pie for doneness. Remove from oven and transfer to cutting board. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before slicing. Garnish with crushed red peppers. -YUM-

Use other half of ingredients for second dough.

Three Pepper Pasta with Garlic Scapes

1 package pasta. I prefer fusili or penne pasta
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup onions, chopped
½ cup garlic scapes, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
½ cup red peppers diced
½ cup yellow peppers diced
¼ cup your choice- jalapeno or Anaheim pepper chopped
½ cup carrots, peeled and diced (optional)
¼ cup fresh basil chopped
1 tbsp fresh oregano chopped
½ teaspoon sea salt
Black pepper to taste
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to directions, set aside. In a large skillet, heat oil on medium heat and add garlic scapes and onions. Saute until tender, add peppers and carrots. Saute for two minutes, add basil and oregano. Stir frequently for one minute. Add salt and pepper to taste. In large bowl, combine pasta and pepper mixture. Toss gently and top with parmesan.

Ingredients Makes four servings

For Pie:
1 ½ pounds organic ground beef
1 medium onion
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp chopped Hood River Organic Garlic
1 red or green pepper, chopped
1 Tbsp rosemary
1/2 cup beef stock
1 Tbsp whole wheat flour
Salt & pepper

For Crust:
7 medium potatoes, chopped
½ cup whole milk
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp hood River Organic Garlic

* Preheat oven to 400 degrees

To prepare pie:
Heat ground beef in a skillet for about 10 to 12 minutes over medium heat, until cooked. Drain off fat. Combine onions, carrots, Hood River Organic Garlic and rosemary. Add chicken or beef stock and simmer about 12 minutes until carrots are tender. Add green pepper. Let all the soup stock evaporate, and mix in the flour. Make sure filling is moist but not too wet, drain off liquid if needed.

Pour the pie mixture into an 8’ x 13” by 2” deep baking dish. Set aside while preparing the crust mixture.

To prepare crust:
Bring two quarts of water to a boil. Add potatoes and boil until tender. Add salt if desired. In a small skillet melt butter over low heat. Add Hood River Organic Garlic and stir frequently until the garlic is lightly brown.
Drain off the potatoes, and transfer back into pot. Add milk and garlic and blend with mixer until all the lumps are gone. Salt and pepper to taste.
Spread mashed potatoes over the meat mixture, making sure to cover the whole pie filling. Bake for 20 minutes, until crust is golden brown.

Ingredients
3 cups packed tender young basil leaves
3 heaping Tbsp pine nuts (you can substitute almonds or walnuts)
1 ½ teaspoons coarse sea salt
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil or more to taste
4-5 giant organic Hood River Organic Garlic cloves, chopped
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
1 fresh organic lemon

Preparation
Combine the basil, pine nuts, and sea salt in a food processor and mix. Gradually add olive oil, mixing with rubber spatula if necessary. The sauce should be the consistency of a paste, not a puree.
Add the Hood River Organic Garlic and mix. Squeeze in juice from lemon to taste. Transfer to a bowl and mix in Parmesan with spatula.

Note: If sauce is too thick add more olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy with your favorite pasta, or spread on toasted baguette, with sliced tomatoes.

Roasted Garlic Soup with Thyme Croutons

Ingredients Makes four servings
4 Heads of Hood River Organic Garlic
3 Cups Milk
1 Cup Cream
Fresh Thyme
Salt
Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Coat the Hood River Organic Garlic with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in a 350-degree oven until the cloves are golden brown, about 45 minutes. Once the garlic is roasted, cut the head in half, (from side to side) exposing all the cloves. Squeeze both halves into a bowl, discarding any skin. Pick out any fiber from the skin. Bring the roasted garlic, milk, cream, and thyme to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes. Puree in a blender, and then strain through a very fine mesh sieve. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with Thyme Croutons, and a light drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

For The Croutons

1 small loaf French bread
Olive oil
Fresh thyme
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the crust from the bread with a knife. Cut the loaf into very small cubes. Toss the cubes with a small amount of olive oil, fresh chopped thyme, salt and pepper. Place the cubes on a tray and bake until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Serve while warm.

Roasted Squash, Sweet Potato, and Garlic Soup

Ingredients
1 Sweet Potato, about 12 oz.
1 Acorn Squash ( or pumpkin/ 3 cups)
4 Shallots
Olive Oil
5-6 Cloves of Hood River Organic Garlic
3 1/4 cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
½ cup Light Cream
Salt

Cut the sweet potato, squash, and shallots in half lengthwise. Brush the cut sides with oil. Put the vegetables, cut side down in shallow roasting pan. Add Hood River Organic Garlic.

Roast in oven at 375 degrees, for 40 minutes. Until tender and light brown. Let cool, scoop out flesh of potato, and squash ( or pumpkin ). Put in saucepan with shallots, peel garlic, and add to other vegetables. Add the stock and a pinch of salt.
Bring to boil, and then reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 30 minutes.Stir occasionally until vegetables are tender. Allow soup to cool slightly then put in blender or food processor, and puree until smooth.

If necessary for using food processor, strain off liquid and set aside. Puree the soup solids with enough liquid to moisten them, and then combine. Return soup to saucepan and stir in the cream. Season to taste. Simmer 5-10 minutes.

To make four, ¼ pound patties you will need one pound of beef.
For eight patties you will need two pounds of beef. I prefer to use grass fed, organic lean ground beef.

To make four patties, peel 5 to 6 large cloves of garlic. To make eight patties, peel 7 to 10 cloves. Siberian garlic is an excellent choice because of the extra large cloves. Georgia Fire is a favorite as well for its spicy hot flavor. Chop up your cloves using what ever your garlic chopper of choice may be. I prefer my mini chopper because I grind lots of garlic and its super handy and cleaned in the dishwasher.

Light your grill to preheat.

Place your ground up garlic in a large bowl and add the ground beef. Salt and pepper to taste. If you haven’t already washed your hands, this is a good time to do it. Mix the garlic into the beef by hand and form into patties, evenly distributing the garlic into the beef. Place patties onto a plate and you are ready to grill.

You should always eat lots of garlic whenever you eat meat, because it helps keep your cholesterol level down.

Freezing and Using Garlic

In the fall of 2006, I tried an experiment to freeze garlic and had great success! In the early winter months, when our supply of Hood River Garlic is dwindling down to nothing I get creative and try to think up new ways to store garlic. I was very pleased with my freezing experiment and would recommend it to anyone who misses that homegrown garlic flavor like we do in the early spring.

Now I freeze garlic every fall, for great garlic flavor to last well into the spring.

Just peel the cloves, and place them in a freezer bag and put in the freezer.

Remove the frozen garlic cloves from freezer and thaw for 10 to 20 minutes before using. They will be slightly mushy from being frozen, but the flavor is better then store bought garlic!

I roasted them with a chicken in May and I was thrilled to have that true garlic flavor back in my cooking.

1 tsp course sea salt

3 cloves big cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon mayonnaise
Dash of Tabasco sauce
Dash of Worcester sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Equipment
One well loved wooden salad bowl (unfinished)

In your favorite wooden salad bowl mash the garlic and salt with a pestle or a large wooden spoon. The garlic should be really mashed (the salt helps to break down the fibers).
Add the juice of the lemon and trade your pestle for a whisk. Slowly stream in the olive oil as you whisk it into the lemon juice.
Your dressing should be fairly smooth by now. Whisk in all the other ingredients EXCEPT the cheese.

Salt to taste (remember your cheese is salty so wait a moment).

When you are ready to serve the salad add the greens to the bowl, toss, sprinkle the cheese, toss some more. Now taste it again and add a grind of fresh black pepper. The greens will wilt in about ten minutes so toss when ready to serve. The dressing will last in a jar in the fridge for a very long time, so you can make it ahead of time and bring to room temperature when ready to serve. For the ultimate garlic experience make some garlic croutons to top your salad.

* Used by permission by Deborah Mazzoleni,

The Good River Restaurant, located in Mosier, Oregon

Roasted Garlic and Winter Vegetables

1 lb carrots, peeled
1 lb parsnips, peeled
1 large sweet potato, peeled
1 small butternut squash (about 2 lbs) peeled and seeded
1 bulb garlic, peeled
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Cut the carrots, parsnips, sweet potato and squash into 1 to 1 ¼ inch cubes. Don’t cut too small because you will get shrinkage. The garlic just needs to be peeled, do not chop!
I prefer a Marbled Purple Stripe like Siberian, or a Porcelain like Zemo for their large cloves.

Place veggies into a large bowl, drizzle olive oil and salt and pepper, toss well. Transfer onto two sheet pans. Bake for 25 – 35 minutes, turn after the first 15 minutes.
Test for doneness when all veggies are tender. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve hot.

Pumpkin Soup ~ This is an easy and delicious soup.

2 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp chopped onion
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp chopped fresh ginger (or 1/2 tsp ground dried ginger)

1/2 tsp curry powder
2 cups pureed pumpkin or squash (hopefully from your garden, see below)
2 cups chicken or veggie stock
1 cups coconut milk
Salt to season

Other optional veggies to add:
1 stalk chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped leek
1/4 cup chopped peppers

Saute butter, onion, garlic and ginger in pot, on low heat. Stir in flour. Add pumpkin, cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Gradually add stock and coconut milk. Stir in curry powder. Add optional veggies if desired. Simmer 5 minutes. Season with salt. You can puree soup in the bender if you want to have a smooth texture or enjoy it as is.

How to cook pumpkin or squash:
Every year I am pleased to find some volunteer pumpkins in the garden. I love to cook them up and freeze them for pies, bread and soup all winter long.

To prepare your pumpkin: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut off stem. With a sharp knife poke some holes in the pumpkin like you would a potato. Place whole pumpkin in oven on cooking sheet. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes. Depending on the size of the pumpkin, small pumpkin should take 40 minutes, larger pumpkins maybe up to one hour. For a really big pumpkin that will not fit in the oven; cut pumpkin in half and bake one side at a time. After 30 to 40 minutes, poke with knife to test doneness. When the pumpkin feels soft in the middle it is done. Remove from oven and let cool for one hour. When pumpkin is cool enough to handle, cut it in half. Do this over a plate in case of moisture. Scoop out the seeds and the stringy stuff with a large spoon. Set aside seeds for roasting later. Add rind and stringy stuff to compost. (Always save a few seeds for compost and next year's pumpkins!) Now scoop out the tender meat of the pumpkin and place into a blender or Cuisinart. Blend until smooth, if the pumpkin meat is not blending add a little bit of water(1 ounce at a time). Transfer the puree into a bowl. Now your pumpkin puree is ready to cook or bake with. Take the two cups you will need for your recipe and set aside the rest. I usually prepare my pumpkin for pies at Thanksgiving and freeze the rest for pies, bread and soup.

To freeze puree: Let cool completely. I use a wide-mouth mug and place a zip lock bag inside, overlapping the bag over the rim of the mug. Now spoon it into the zip lock bag You can use a spoon and eyeball two cups or measure it first. Most recipes for soup and pies call for two cups of pumpkin so that is the amount I freeze in each bag.

Chicken Chili Recipe

1/2 cup chopped onion
5 garlic cloves, pressed
1 large Anaheim pepper, chopped with seeds removed
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped with seeds removed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 (35 oz) cans stewed tomatoes, crushed
1 bag of homemade black beans, thawed (see black bean recipe below)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
3/4 cup chicken stock
3 Tbsp chili powder (up to 4 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups shredded, cooked chicken meat
Shredded cheddar cheese, cilantro and sour cream for garnish

In a large sauce pan, add olive oil and onions. Cook over med-high heat, stirring frequently, until golden, about 5 min. Add garlic, peppers, chili powder, cumin and sauté for 3 minutes. Add more olive oil if needed. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, black beans, oregano, salt, pepper, and cooked chicken meat. Bring mixture to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for an hour, stirring frequently. Salt and pepper to taste. Serves 8.

Home made Black Beans – Makes about 12 cups of beans, you will need two cups for the chili recipe and freeze the rest.

1 ½ pounds dry organic black beans

1 Tbsp minced garlic

3 Tbsp organic molasses

1 teaspoon cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste

The night before you want to make your beans, rinse the black beans well (be on the lookout for tiny foreign objects mixed in the beans, like small rocks!) Place the rinsed beans in a crock pot and fill with enough water to cover the beans (at least 1 1/2inch over beans) and let sit over night. In the morning drain off the water and rinse again. Cover the beans with water again. Add the onion, garlic, salt & pepper. Cover the crock pot and turn on high. Cook about 4 hours, stirring regularly. After the first four hours, test a bean to check for doneness. You can now turn the crock pot on low and continue to stir regularly until the beans are soft. They will probably take about 4 more hours on low. When they are cooked completely, turn off crock pot and stir in the molasses and cinnamon. Allow beans to sit until cooled. Set aside your 2 cups for the chili recipe and freeze the rest.

To freeze beans: Let cool completely. Use freezer guard zip lock baggies. Here is a nice trick; use a wide mouth coffee mug, or a pint glass. Place the zip lock bag inside the mug or glass and tuck the zipper part over the top of the rim. Take a large spoon or ladle and fill the zip lock bag full of beans. (About ½ way). This recipe makes about 12 cups of beans, so you will have 5 bags of beans to freeze. Now you will have yummy homemade black beans any time you want to make chili, burritos or enchiladas.

Garlic Bulbil infusion to help lower blood sugar :
5-10 bulbils in 0.5 liter water or alcohol keep 3 days in a dark place. 5-7 drops of the infusion in 0.5 cup warm water morning on empty stomach & at bedtime.