Green Garlic : The New Kid At the Market

A guest post from Katie Ricketts, community / market organizer at Southland Farmers' Market Association.

One of the best-kept farmers' market secrets is back again this year in a BIG way. Green garlic is as hip to LA restaurants and chefs as neon-colored t-shirts and slap-stick bracelets are to LA fashionistas. Still relatively unknown, green garlic is poised to take foodies around the US by storm; crunchy, sweet, juicy, and easy to prepare it's a perfect mix of sweet and garlicky onion goodness.

Jerry Rutiz, the farmer behind Rutiz Family Farms -- one of the few at the Santa Monica Wednesday market that grows this fantastically trendy product -- tipped me off that the best part to use is the white bulbous end up until it becomes light green, which can be diced and separated in rounds. As Jerry noted, chefs in LA are using the green garlic for all kinds of things  raw (yep, it's just that sweet) atop salads, or thrown in towards the end of a stir-fry for added color and some flavor punch. I can imagine it being great in dressings and marinades as well.  With such warm weather upon us green garlic can be wrapped in foil with a tad of olive oil and cooked on the BBQ—serve it atop burgers or in grilled sandwiches.

If you need even more inspiration (or frankly don't have the time/will-power to make Lucques green-garlic aioli with lamb), here's a quick pasta dish recipe:

Pasta with Green Garlic and Basil

• 1 bunch of green garlic
• 1/2 lb pasta (penne works well)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sliced basil
• Handful of spring vegetables (broccoli, carrots, fava beans, even chard or kale) blanched

Blanch any vegetables you may be using in boiling water for 1-2 minutes (broccoli, carrots, fava beans, peas) and then place in cool water to halt the cooking process. Vegetables should be just al dente.  Set aside.  Boil water and cook pasta until just tender. In another pan, heat skillet over moderate heat and add one tablespoon of oil and tip to coat pan. Add green garlic and toss to brown lightly (2-3 minutes depending on heat). Set aside. Drain pasta and toss in warm serving bowl along with a tablespoon of olive oil, green garlic, half the basil, and a big squeeze of lemon adding salt and pepper to taste. Add more basil, oil, lemon juice, and seasonings to taste.  Adding some broccoli, english peas, or fava beans (just make sure to soften them by boiling for a few minutes) for a great spring-time dish.