Wild about garlic

Olde Lafayette Village holds garlic festival, By Rosa Kasper Lafayette n Olde Lafayette Village promised “two stinking days of fun,” and delivered on its promise as members of the Garden State Garlic Society from across the county gathered to demonstrate the arts of cooking, growing, and storing what they call “gourmet garlic.”. The garlic displays were aromatic with stacks of garlic with names that read like ingredients in a magic spell: Russian Red, German Porcelain, Spanish Roja, Metechi, Bogatry and Music, and the pungency of fresh-chopped garlic wafted on the air, mixed with the smells of fresh popcorn, and grilling garlic sausages and bell peppers. Even the dogs appeared to be drawn the rich aromas. “I love garlic and I put it into nearly everything,” said Marie Valsamello of Hamburg, as she sorted through a pyramid of shimmering garlic cloves, looking for the most perfectly formed. “I stud meat with garlic, make a garlic pork roast that’s out of this world, and my husband puts plenty of it in his spaghetti sauce,” Valsamello said. “We couldn’t live without garlic. I can’t imagine a world without garlic.” Rich Sisti of Catalpa Ridge Farm in Wantage, near High Point, agreed with Valsamello. “I love growing garlic because it has so many varieties. Each is different and each has its special uses.” Sisti said that his particular favorite is Russian Red because it goes so well with the heirloom tomatoes he grows. “The garlic I grow has a richer, cleaner flavor,” he said. Sisti explained that true garlic aficionados divide garlic into those that have a strong and those that have a mild initial “bite.” “Some varieties, like Russian Red, are naturally sweeter than others, and the flavor also depends on how the cook prepares the garlic,” Sisti said. He said he likes eating his garlic raw on a piece of good bread. “You can roast it whole, mash it with the blade of a chef’s knife or put it through a garlic press. But whatever you do, don’t burn it. It should be cooked slowly over low heat in oil or butter.” Burning, he said, brings out the bitter flavors. Garlic has been around seemingly forever. It is one of the plants mentioned in the Bible as sustaining Moses’ followers during their 40 years in the wilderness, and the builders of the Egyptian pyramids are said to have eaten garlic to stay strong. Medieval plant-medicine books attribute near-miraculous qualities to garlic, and legend has it that hanging garlic around the neck protects the wearer against vampire attacks. But, Sisti and other festivalgoers agree that history and healthful benefits aside, the best reason to love garlic is that it makes food taste absolutely wonderful.