It’s time you fell in love with Garlic!

You don’t like garlic??? I’ll pretend not to hear you! Why? Because today we celebrate the National Garlic day! Perhaps, it is not the best day to kiss your better half, but it is sure to be a great opportunity to fight against microbes. Used across the world for millennia, both for culinary and medicinal purposes, garlic has been successful in treating wounds, infections and intestinal parasites. It's even mentioned in Egyptian hieroglyphs!

Today many scientists have concluded from the results of numerous clinical trials, that garlic has anti-bacterial properties and helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure. It also contains allyl sulfur compounds and these are currently being studied by the National Cancer Institute for their ability to slow or prevent the growth of tumor cells, which may prove effective in fighting certain cancers.

Cooking wise, it's worth noting that the smaller you chop garlic, the more pungent it becomes. Garlic which has been through a garlic press is 10 times stronger than garlic which has been chopped with a knife. So, if you want a milder tasting dish, either add whole of halved cloves.

Garlic is also well known in repelling vampires, curing warts and protecting against the plague!

Whilst National Garlic Day seems to be an American invention, this awesome little bulb merits being celebrated the world over. Celebrate National Garlic Day by using it heavily in your meals and snacks today. Spend some time researching its medical benefits. You might find you are adding more garlic to your menu everyday.

Garlic Linguine with Mushrooms

Vegetarian Main Course Serves 4 Prep and cooking time 20 minutes

Ingredients

Salt

Water

450g/1lb Linguine

25g/1oz Butter90ml/

3fl.oz. Olive Oil

4 Garlic Cloves, thinly sliced

450g/1lb Mushrooms, sliced

2 tbsp freshly chopped Parsley Black Pepper

Instructions

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil.

2. Add plenty of salt and the linguine and cook for 8-10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat the oil and garlic in a saucepan then add the mushrooms and sauté gently until golden, stirring from time to time.

4. Add the parsley, salt and pepper to the mushroom mixture and mix well.

5. Drain the cooked pasta well, return to the rinsed out pan and stir in the oil and garlic mixture, tossing to coat well. Serve immediately.

Garlic Artichoke Dip
Ingredients
1 cup marinated artichoke hearts - drained, finely chopped
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1 small can chopped green chile peppers
4 cloves of fresh California-grown garlic - crushed
Mix all ingredients in bowl, spoon into baking dish and bake for 20 minutes at 350x. Serve warm or cold on crackers or bread.