For the love of garlic.

Byline: Randi Bjornstad The Register-Guard

Once called the "stinking rose" and shunned by the higher classes as food suitable only for peasants - and only the most vulgar ones at that - garlic since has triumphed, taking its place as one of the most indispensable flavors in many kitchens.

Without a doubt, it still can cling to the breath in a noticeable way, but by now that's almost akin to the old fly-in-the-soup joke:

Diner: "Waiter, waiter, I can smell that someone's been eating garlic."

Waiter: "Quiet, please, or everyone will want some."

Of course, garlic fans believe the pungent bulb does more than make a lot of good foods taste even better. It's been lauded as a cure for just about everything - not to mention its mythological ability to ward off vampires - from lowering cholesterol, protecting the heart and enhancing the immune system to controlling acne and staving off cold and flu.

Science has yet to prove those theories one way or the other, but in the meantime, the tightly clustered cloves have inspired entire cookbooks, recipe contests and weekend-long festivals.

And, although it's generally considered a warmer weather crop, the Oregon State University Extension Service offers plenty of tips on growing your own here in the Pacific Northwest:

Plant garlic in September through early October; be sure to use pest-free planting stock, which usually means ordering the cloves or buying them from garden shops instead of planting them right out of the grocery store produce section.

Sow healthy cloves 2 inches deep, about 8 to the linear foot and in rows 12 inches apart. Garlic does especially well in raised beds. Soil should be well drained and rich in good organic matter, to allow the bulbs room to form and spread without becoming misshapen.

Water well when planting, and no more irrigation should be needed during the fall. In spring,

keep garlic beds moist, until the cloves are well filled and the bulbs the desired size. Once the garlic tops become dry and begin to fall - usually mid-June or early July, stop watering.

Some garlic plants produce flower stalks with small aerial bulbs; those should be removed.

After digging mature garlic, let it cure in open air for a day or two, but do not expose it to high temperatures or bright sun. After that, place the garlic in sacks for 10 to 14 days to complete curing. Well-cured garlic can be stored well for six to seven months at 32 degrees, or three to four months in a cool, dry, well-ventilated location.

Ways to use garlic have burgeoned since the days when it was mostly synonymous with spaghetti sauce and finger-licking bread slices. Recipes now run the gamut from appetizers to desserts, as cooks have discovered the many tastes and textures garlic can have depending on the way it's prepared.

Simmering peeled cloves in stock for 20 to 30 minutes yields soft, mild-tasting bites perfect for an as-is treat or an addition to a light pasta sauce.

Garlic cloves make a great addition to roasted vegetables such as asparagus, green beans, peppers and zucchini. They're also great braised in large quantities with beef or chicken.

Lemon-Garlic Cream for dessert? It's worth a try.

Mediterranean Chicken Breasts

2 lemons

4 large cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano 

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup olive oil 

1/4 cup safflower oil 

8 supremes (breasts from 4 frying chickens, boned and skinned)

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

1 cup fine bread crumbs

2 cups chicken stock

30 to 40 garlic cloves, peeled

3 to 4 tablespoons butter

1 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

8 sprigs parsley, for garnish

Remove lemon zest (the yellow part of the peel) from the lemons with a vegetable peeler, and mince. With a wide-bladed knife, make a paste of the minced garlic and salt. Juice the lemons and set aside.

Combine lemon zest, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, garlic paste, oregano, pepper and oils. Coat chicken breasts with this marinade; let stand several hours or overnight.

Remove chicken from the marinade and scrape off excess. Roll chicken pieces in a mixture of the Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Lay the coated pieces on waxed paper and let stand a minimum of 15 minutes, up to several hours.

Heat chicken stock to boiling and blanch the garlic cloves for 10 minutes. Remove the garlic and continue to boil the sauce, reducing it to 1 1/2 cups.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place the chicken pieces in a shallow baking dish coated with butter. Drizzle a teaspoon or two of melted butter on each piece. Lay the blanched garlic cloves around and on top of the chicken breasts.

Cover with foil and take 15 to 20 minutes, until nearly done. Set the oven on broil. Remove the foil and place the chicken under the broiler until golden brown.

Remove to a heated platter, distributing the garlic cloves around the chicken breasts. Keep warm while preparing sauce.

Add dry white wine to the juices remaining in the baking pan after the chicken is removed. Deglaze the pan over high heat, scraping up any brown bits clinging to the bottom or sides. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and reduce over high heat to 1/4 cup. Add the reserved chicken stock and minced parsley, and cook until the sauce has reduced to about 1 cup. Remove from heat; add remaining lemon juice. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed.

Pour some sauce over the chicken breasts and garnish the platter or individual plates with sprigs of parsley. Pass the remaining sauce in a pitcher.

Serves 8.

Source: "1979-1993 Garlic Lovers' Great Hits, Gilroy Garlic Festival" (Celestial Arts Printing, 1993).

Pasta With Tomato-Garlic Sauce

60 cloves garlic, peeled and parboiled 

1 can (15 ounces) chicken broth

3/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon minced fresh red chilies

4 to 5 medium fresh Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced fine

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into narrow strips

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 pound fettucine pasta

1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Boil the peeled garlic cloves in stock 20 to 30 minutes until tender and most of the broth has boiled away; set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet. Saute the onion until golden. Add the minced chilies and saute 30 seconds more. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. When the mixture is bubbling, add the basil, garlic and tomato paste; mix well and heat through.

Cook the fettucine until al dente, done but slightly chewy. Toss with the garlic-tomato sauce; pass grated Parmesan cheese at the table.

Serves 4 to 6.

Source: "Garlic" by Sue Kreitzman (A Particular Palate Cookbook/Harmony Books, 1984).

Lemon-Garlic Cream

4 cups unflavored yogurt

2 cups whipping cream

6 cloves garlic, peeled and parboiled

1/2 envelope unflavored gelatin 

1/8 cup cold water

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel, plus additional for garnish

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg

Dump the yogurt into a sieve that has been lined with damp cheesecloth. Place it over a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and put it in the refrigerator to drain for 4 hours.

Heat the cream and garlic in a deep, heavy pot. Boil until reduced by 1/2 cup, about 15 minutes, leaving 1 1/2 cups of cream.

While the cream is boiling, soften the gelatin in the cold water.

Stir the lemon juice, vanilla, softened gelatin and sugar into the thickened cream mixture. Allow to cool to room temperature.

When cool, strain the mixture into a bowl, reserving the garlic caught in the strainer. Stir in 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel. Stir in the drained yogurt.

Spoon the mixture into 6 dessert goblets. Top each with a clove of the reserved garlic. Sprinkle with grated lemon peel and 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg.

Chill several hours before serving. Makes 6 servings.

Source: "Garlic" by Sue Kreitzman.

Garlic and Olive Oil Paste

5 heads (not cloves) garlic

1 quart extra-virgin olive oil

Separate the garlic heads into cloves, and peel the cloves. Combine the garlic and the olive oil and let marinate for a week.

Using a food processor, process the garlic and oil into a paste. Store the mixture indefinitely in a jar or bottle in the refrigerator.

This paste has many uses, such as for salad dressings, spreading on crusty bread, tossing with pasta or rubbing on chicken before roasting.

Source: "Garlic" by Sue Kreitzman.

Roasted Green Beans With Garlic

1 pound fresh green beans, washed, with ends snapped off

1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced or pressed

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl, combine green beans with olive oil and pressed garlic. Mix well to coat, and turn out onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place in oven and roast until the beans are tender and starting to brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Serve hot or at room temperature.

This recipe also can be used for julienned carrots or asparagus.

Serves 4.

Source: Adapted from the "Garlic Cookbook" (Randan Corp.), www.garlicfestival.com.

Garlic Spring Rolls

For the sauce:

20 cloves garlic, peeled

2/3 cup lime juice

1/2 cup fish sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed and minced fine

For the spring rolls:

15 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 cup water chestnuts

2 cups ground pork

5 green onions, chopped fine

1/2 cup grated carrot

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

4 cups thinly sliced Napa (Chinese) cabbage

Cornstarch 

18 spring roll wrappers (available in Asian markets)

1/3 cup canola oil (more if needed)

Lettuce, pickled carrot or green onion for garnish (optional)

To make sauce, combine 20 cloves garlic with the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and peppers in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Set aside.

For spring rolls, press or process the 15 cloves of garlic and put in a large mixing bowl. Thoroughly mix in the water chestnuts, ground pork, onions, carrot, salt and pepper. Gently fold in the Napa cabbage.

Lay a wrapper on a work surface lightly dusted with cornstarch. Put 2 tablespoons of filling in the center of the wrapper. Fold 1 corner over the filling; fold in each side and roll tightly to the other corner, which has been dabbed with water to help it stick. Repeat with remaining rolls.

Heat oil in heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry until rolls are cooked through and golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

To serve, arrange rolls on a platter with a bowl of dipping sauce in the center. Garnish with lettuce, pickled carrot and onions, if desired. Serves 6.

Source: Kim Landhuis, first-prize winner at 1998 Gilroy Garlic Festival Cookoff; www. garlicfestival.com/Recipes/ springrolls.html.