TASTINGS The curative powers of onion and garlic

All kinds of preventives and cures have been attributed to both onion and garlic over

the centuries. They are important part of herbal healing practices. Scientists

conducted a number of experiments to substantiate these claims, but so far there is

no conclusive evidence of which cures what and how. A few experiments that did

put forth a conclusion they based on too small a number of people to be statistically

significant, or they weren't conducting them according to approved scientific

principles. Yet there is little doubt in most people's minds that these herbs do indeed

have healing powers. Perhaps the way they work is to eat enough raw onion and

garlic so that no one comes close enough to share their germs with you.

Cleaning and mincing garlic

Many cookbooks suggest dropping cloves of garlic into boiling water for half a minute

before peeling to soften the papery skin that makes it easier to remove. The method works but it

creates another problem. The boiling water mutes the garlic flavor and alters it, even after half a

minute. Instead, use another standard method—bang hard on each clove with the flat blade of a

large knife. This breaks up the peeling. Some people use a fist-sized smooth stone, copped from a

close-by beach, and reserve it just for loosening garlic skins. It is a good idea that works very well,

especially when you want to clean several heads of garlic.

When a recipe calls for minced garlic, most cooks reach for the garlic press. But if you've

mastered your faithful, well-sharpened French knife, mincing garlic is a cinch without a garlic press.

For plenty of garlic to mince, a food processor is an efficient tool. For very finely minced or mashed

garlic, a mortar and pestle are the best tools. Add a little salt—its sharp crystals help break down the

garlic into a fine purée.

I always chop up several heads of garlic at one time and store most of it in the freezer in

tiny, tightly-covered containers. One small containerful stays in the refrigerator for daily use. It

keeps well for weeks. When you use garlic often, it is good to have it readily available.

It is also useful to have some dehydrated or powdered garlic on your shelf as a standby.

Their flavor doesn't come near to that of fresh garlic, but it is better than no garlic at all if you ran

out. Half teaspoon of dehydrated garlic reconstituted with 1 teaspoon water has the flavoring power

of 2 cloves of fresh garlic. Let the reconstituted mix sit for 10 minutes before using to develop full

strength. Note that if you add this to acidic dishes too soon, acid retards its full flavor development.

Ginger

I am not trying to fool you. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is not even remotely related to the

onion tribe, yet to many culinary artists slaving over hot stoves to create edible masterpieces it

seems like one of them. We certainly use ginger similarly. And the flavor impact it gives to foods is

nothing less than what onion or garlic accomplishes. The combination of complex flavors ginger

creates when you use it with members of the onion family is the essence of Oriental cuisine. In fact,

only Asian cuisines use ginger regularly, almost religiously, all the way from India, Pakistan and Sri

Lanka to the west to China and Japan to the east.

Indians and Chinese knew ginger since very ancient times. It arrived to Germany and France

in the 800s and to England 100 years later. Ginger’s close relatives, surprisingly, are cardamom and

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