Celebrate the 'stinky rose' for National Garlic Day on April 19

It stinks so good.

There are few culinary scents as unmistakable as garlic. In its raw form, it can have enough bite to rival low-level chili peppers. Roasted, it spreads smooth as butter on a thin slice of toasted baguette. You can even make dessert with it if you have the intestinal fortitude.

According to 2020 research published by the National Institutes of Health, garlic and its secondary metabolites have shown excellent health-promoting and disease-preventing effects on diseases including cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, blood pressure and diabetes by way of its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and lipid-lowering properties.

It contains high levels of potassium, phosphorus zinc and sulfur, the latter of which gives garlic its characteristic, pungent smell.

One of its sulfur compounds, allicin, is thought to be the source for most of its health benefits.

My personal garlic journey began when I moved back to the Pittsburgh area in 2010. One of my friends immediately invited me to attend the annual Pears Garlicfest, organized by one of our friends who lived near Meadville. With a variety of categories — including dessert, for those brave enough to make the attempt — the festival produced some wild recipes over the years.

But, to properly prepare for Garlicfest, I had to have plenty of garlic on hand, which is why my annual backyard garden regularly includes between 80-120 heads of garlic.

You can’t even imagine how easy garlic is to grow.

It can be purchased from a wide variety of growers across the U.S. (don’t use grocery-store garlic; it’s treated with chemicals meant to inhibit growth). All you need is a broomstick, garden trowel handle or something that can poke a roughly 4-inch-deep hole in the ground. Cloves should be planted pointy-side up and spread about 8-10 inches apart. I plant mine in October and let them overwinter in the ground, but you can just as easily plant them right now.

In June, your garlic plants will shoot a stalk up through their tops. This is a garlic scape, and, once it starts to curl, you can chop it off, remove the white bulb head and use the scape raw, sauteed or cooked. It has a light garlic flavor without the strong bite of raw garlic. But, even if you’re not going to use the scapes, make sure to remove them, otherwise the plant will put its energy into growing the flower bulb on top, rather than growing the bulb in the soil.

Once a few sets of leaves have browned off, your garlic is ready to harvest. Find a cool, dry place to let it air out and cure for 2-3 weeks, and you’ll have a store of garlic that can last six months or more.

And what to do with all that garlic? Well, you can certainly do what I do, and add at least three cloves to literally any dish you’re cooking. But here are a few unique ideas courtesy of former Garlicfest winners.

Bacon-Wrapped Garlic Candy

This recipe is from Brian DeRoner of Ross. This recipe not only won him acclaim at Garlicfest but also earned him a spot on WQED’s “G is for Garlic” cooking episode.

• Ingredients: garlic, bacon, juice of 1 large lemon, Jim Beam Red Stag, agave nectar, brown sugar, toothpicks (soak before cooking).

• Directions: Prepare garlic by peeling by hand and removing root end. Wrap individual cloves with bacon and use toothpick to hold.

Combine lemon juice, Red Stag, agave nectar and brown sugar in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Once mixture begins to heat, add bacon-wrapped garlic.

Cook until bacon is done and mixture has begun to caramelize. Remove and place on drying rack.

Garlic ‘Zippers’

This recipe is from Tim Bruno of Erie.

• Ingredients: Large kosher hot dogs, minced garlic to taste, shredded cheddar cheese, 1 package of thick-cut bacon, chopped jalapenos to taste.

• Directions: Slice one side of each hot dog and stuff with a mixture of garlic, cheese and jalapenos. Wrap each hot dog in bacon, then grill and serve on a bun. Can be served with sweet jelly.

Pumpkin Garlic Soup

This recipe is from Ken Stiffler of Erie. For Garlicfest, Stiffler made an extra-punched-up version with (wait for it) SIXTY CLOVES OF GARLIC. You may not need quite as much.

• Ingredients: 2 cups heavy cream, 2 16-ounce cans of pumpkin puree, 5 TB butter, 4 carrots, peeled and chopped, 2 onions, chopped and caramelized, 2 TB ginger, 10 cups low-sodium chicken broth, 1⁄2 tsp cayenne pepper, 3 bulbs of garlic, chopped.

• Directions: Combine, bring to boil, simmer for 2-4 hours.

Garlic Baklava

This recipe is from Zack Bruno of Delmont. It replaces some of the walnut layer of the baklava with garlic, and, while it sounds like it might not work, it is fantastic.

• Ingredients: 16-ounce package of phyllo dough, 1 cup butter, 2⁄3 pound of toasted chopped walnuts, 1⁄3 pound of chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 cup water, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1⁄2 cup honey.

• Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch pan. Chop garlic and walnuts, toss with cinnamon and set aside. Unroll phyllo dough and cut the stack in half to fit your pan. Cover phyllo with a damp cloth to keep it from drying out. Place two sheets in the pan, and butter thoroughly; repeat until you’ve layered eight sheets.

Sprinkle 2-3 TB of garlic and walnut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, then butter, then more of the mixture. Repeat and create another 6-8-sheet dough layer on top.

Using a sharp knife, cut the baklava into diamond shapes, then bake for 50 minutes or until baklava is golden and crisp.

While baking, boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey and simmer for about 20 minutes, then let cool. Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Serve in cupcake papers.