Chef's Garden: New-season garlic has arrived (+ recipes)

As new-season garlic appears, chef Bevan Smith shares some favourite recipes.

Prepare your tastebuds because new-season garlic has arrived and it sure tastes good.

Garlic, for me, is one of cooking's true pleasures.

Its heady, pungent aroma and bold flavour deliver a powerful punch and a much-needed lift to many dishes.

In fact, it is such an indispensable feature in almost every cuisine across the globe, it's hard to imagine many dishes without it.

And while many Kiwis may profess a fear of lingering bad breath, we also seem to have a corresponding obsession with garlic bread that defies belief! One of the first things we planted in our restaurant garden was garlic and ironically, one of the best New Zealand cultivars originated from Kakanui - just down the road - and was known and sold around the country by the same name.

Great garlic will have a firm head and purple tinges to the surrounding paper skin. (Intriguingly, imported garlic is often bleached with chlorine to make it more attractive to the consumer.) Needless to say, the taste difference between local and imported garlic is remarkable.

Our own stuff, once peeled, has beautiful, creamy, blemish-free cloves, a distinctive garlicky smell and upon slicing, has no sprouting green bits! Hallelujah!Garlic is usually planted on the shortest day of the year, in winter, and harvested on the longest day of the year, in summer.

The planting technique is simple.

Separate the cloves, rejecting any that are damaged or spoilt, and plant in rich, free-draining soil with the point facing upwards, about 5cm deep.

Water and weed regularly until harvest time, when the stems turn yellow and start to dry up.

Gently dig up the garlic, remove the excess dirt and hang to dry in the sun for a couple of days.

Give them a more thorough clean and store on wire drying racks until needed.

Here are a couple of quick recipes, perfect for a quick summer meal.

A simple combination of prawns and garlic with spaghetti and fresh chilli, delicious! Fresh green-lip mussels are transformed by the addition of garlic, ginger and a little coconut cream.

Confit garlic is something we always keep on hand in the kitchen.

It is great with roast meats or for making quick sauces such as aioli, pesto or salsa verde.

You can even add it to pasta or roast vegetables or smear it on a piece of toast for a quick and tasty snack.

Bevan and Monique Smith own the award-winning restaurant and cafe Riverstone Kitchen on SH1 in North Otago, just south of the Waitaki Bridge.

---

Mussels with coconut cream, ginger and garlic
Serves 2

1kg green-lip mussels, washed and beards removed
150ml coconut cream
1 3cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
1 tablespoon palm sugar,
half a crushed large red chilli, seeds removed and finely sliced
1 small handful Vietnamese mint, washed and shredded
2 spring onions, finely sliced

Heat a large heavy-based saucepan over a high heat and when hot, add mussels, coconut cream, ginger, garlic, palm sugar and chilli.

Place the lid on the pot and steam for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the pot once or twice during cooking to move the mussels around.

Remove the lid when mussels are cooked and shells are open.

Place mussels into 2 large bowls and pour the broth over the top.

Garnish with Vietnamese mint and spring onions.

Serve immediately.