Garlic

This mysterious little plant behaves according to how you cook it (or don’t): When cloves are slowly simmered in a stew or pot roast, the flavors of the garlic meld with the herbs and other vegetables into a subtle whole, but if this same amount of garlic, or even far less, were minced and added to the stew at the end, all the ingredients would be completely overwhelmed. For the most subtle effect, simmer garlic in its peel; for a more forthright effect, peel and mince the garlic and cook it in oil before combining it with other ingredients; and for the most dramatic effect, chop, mince and crush it to a paste and add it to soups and sauces at the last minute. Garlic can also be roasted in its peel and then worked through a food mill to create a mild puree that can be spread on toast or whisked into soups and sauces.