MosJan

http://www.learn2.com/tutorial_images/08/0857/08571bg.gif Learn2 Prepare Garlic For the sweet smell of garlicky success... There's nothing as delicious as a home-cooked Italian meal complete with pasta, fresh tomato sauce and garlic bread. Except maybe a pungent Thai stirfry with snow peas, red chilies, holy basil and garlic. Or perhaps a fiery Indian curry with cumin, coriander, cayenne, and garlic. You get the idea--garlic is good. And it's been hailed as a health tonic by traditional healers for centuries, now with the backing of modern medical research. Unfortunately, peeling the cloves of garlic required to give those dishes their zing is the sort of culinary chore that can be tiresome for even an experienced cook. And the same is true for crushing and mincing garlic. But it doesn't have to be that way: here are some simple instructions which should help any amateur chef overcome their fear of garlic--unless, of course, they're a vampire. You should remove all of your garlic cloves from the head before starting. Crushing garlic is recommended if you want a stronger garlic flavor--this releases more of the pungent flavor and natural juices of garlic. Marinades and foods such as Caesar salad and shrimp scampi demand crushed garlic. Garlic chopped into slices or larger pieces will usually add a light flavor to your dish. It's less likely to dissolve or soften, so you won't get as strong a garlic flavor as you will with crushed garlic. A happy medium could be mincing garlic which is less pungent than crushed garlic, but still adds great flavor for recipes that require stir-frying or sauteeing. Since minced garlic is very finely chopped into small cubical pieces, it will dissolve more easily when cooking. In stir-fry dishes especially, minced garlic adds a great deal of flavor to the cooking oil used in the frying pan. Learn2 Prepare Garlic Part 1: Peel garlic Begin at the end Looking at the garlic clove, you'll see a tough piece at the end. This is the part that was attached to the bottom of the garlic head before the clove was removed. Place the garlic clove on the chopping block, and using the tip of your knife, slice off that end. Break the skin Keeping the garlic on the chopping block, use your thumb and index finger to hold the sides of the clove. Hold the knife with the other hand. Again using the tip of the knife, carefully make a vertical slit from top to bottom in the skin of the garlic. Tap into it Keeping the garlic on the chopping block, tap the clove once or twice with the back of the blade of the knife. Peel it off The skin should be nicely loosened at this point and can easily be pulled off in one piece. If the skin is still not loose enough, repeat Step 3. Carefully making a slit down the side of the skin may help matters. The garlic is now ready to be crushed, chopped, minced, or used whole. Yes, you've read it correctly: whole garlic! Try it in stews or with grilled vegetables [ October 02, 2001: Message edited by: MosJan ]

Garlic through history Louis Pasteur noted in 1858 that bacteria died when they were doused with garlic. At the turn of the century, garlic was the drug of choice for tuberculosis. Albert Schweitzer used garlic to treat cholera and typhus. And during World War II, British physicians treated battle wounds with garlic. In Russia, it's called Russian penicillin.

Company Garlic Chicken 21/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in serving-size pieces 1 Tb. canola oil 3 bulbs garlic, cloves separated 3/4 Tb. each fresh thyme and rosemary (or 1/2 tsp. each if using dried herbs) 11/2 cups dry white wine, or enough to cover chicken in casserole Salt and pepper to taste 1/4 cup minced parsley In a large skillet, fry chicken in oil over medium-high heat until golden brown. Salt and pepper chicken. Layer chicken in 4-quart casserole. Remove papery outer covering of garlic (do not peel). Put garlic on top of and among the chicken pieces. Sprinkle with thyme and rosemary. Add wine to cover. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until liquid is reduced and garlic is very soft. Before serving, sprinkle with parsley. Serve with toasted Italian or French bread (squeeze soft garlic onto bread). Serves 6. Per serving: 143 calories, 22.3g protein, 2.2g carbohydrates, 0.2g fiber, 2.4g fat (0.4g saturated), 153mg sodium Garlic Bean Soup 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth 8 very large garlic cloves, peeled 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped 4 cups cooked white beans, or 2 19-ounce cans white kidney or cannellini beans, drained Put the broth, garlic and onion in a large bowl; cover. Microwave for 20 minutes on high, or until vegetables are soft. Transfer to a blender or food processor, add half the beans and pure. Return soup to bowl, add remaining beans and microwave 5 minutes, or until beans are heated through. Serves 6. Per serving: 195 calories, 13.9g protein, 33.9g carbohydrates, 8g fiber, 0.9g fat (0.25g saturated), 267mg sodium Quick Guacamole 1 medium ripe avocado, mashed 1 tsp. lemon or lime juice 1 large garlic clove, crushed 4 drops hot sauce, such as Tabasco 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper Mix all the ingredients. Serve with tortilla chips. Serves 2. Per serving: 166 calories, 2.1g protein, 8.4g carbohydrates, 4.2g fiber, 15.4g fat (2.5g saturated), 277mg sodium

Garlic Breath Eating parsley or mints or sloshing mouthwash only temporarily dims garlic breath. Garlic infuses your blood and lungs, typically giving off an odor for 4-18 hours. The strength and duration of the odor depend on your body's individual reaction.

Raw or cooked? -- For anti-bacterial or anti-viral effect, only raw garlic will do. Both raw and cooked garlic seem to have cardiovascular, decongestive and anti-cancer benefits. -- Eating more than three raw cloves a day can cause gas, bloating, diarrhea and fever in some people. Cooked garlic is gentler on the stomach. -- All garlic (crushed, chopped in jars, paste, even garlic powder off the spice shelf) can have health benefits.

In the Kitchen Keep garlic in a cool, dry place. Store it in any container that allows good air circulation, such as special ceramic garlic jars with vent holes or any glass jar, small box, basket or similar container, loosely covered. Most experts do not advise refrigerating garlic. Peeled garlic cloves, tightly wrapped, can become moldy rather quickly in the refrigerator. Freezing, too, ruins uncooked garlic. Cloves that have sprouted are all right to use but may be milder in taste. Caution: If you make dressings, oils, butters or marinades containing garlic, be sure to keep them refrigerated, and don't store them longer than two weeks. Otherwise, they pose a threat of potentially deadly botulism

At the Market Buy unpackaged garlic, so you can feel the bulb. It should be solid, not light, airy or dried out. Press the cloves with your fingertips to be sure they're firm. Look for large-cloved bulbs in which the outer skin is tight, unbroken and free of soft spots.

Baby 'Appetizer' Even babies like garlic. When nursing mothers eat garlic, infants stay longer at the breast and drink more, not less, milk, according to tests at Monnel Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia

Infection Fighter Garlic kills viruses responsible for colds and the flu, according to tests by James North, a microbiologist at Brigham Young University. Eat garlic when you feel a sore throat coming on, he says, and you may not even get sick. (Eat garlic when you're stuffed up, too: It acts as a decongestant.) Other studies suggest that garlic revs up immune functioning by stimulating infection-fighting T-cells. I recommend eating one or two cloves of raw garlic a day to people with chronic or recurrent infections, says Andrew Weil of the University of Arizona College of Medicine, author of Natural Health, Natural Medicine. His tip: Cut raw cloves into small pieces and swallow them like pills.

Cancer Blocker Much research shows that garlic contains many chemicals that in laboratory animals block cancers of every type, including breast, liver and colon. A specific garlic compound suppressed the growth of prostate cancer cells in test tubes by about 25 percent, reports John Pinto of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Dedicated garlic eaters may escape certain cancers. Example: In a recent study of 42,000 older women in Iowa, those who ate garlic more than once a week were half as likely to develop colon cancer as non-garlic eaters.

Blood Thinner Studies suggest that garlic compounds help thin the blood, says Eric Block, professor of chemistry at the State University of New York at Albany. Block has isolated a garlic chemical, ajoene, (ajo is Spanish for garlic) with anti-coagulant activity equal or superior to that of aspirin. Raw garlic (three cloves a day) improved clot-dissolving activity by about 20 percent in a double-blind study of medical students in India. Cooking garlic might enhance its anti-clotting activity.

Artery Protector A newly discovered garlic plus: It prevents bad-type LDL cholesterol from oxidizing, a process that initiates plaque buildup on artery walls, which can lead to clogging, heart attack and stroke. The theory is that unoxidized cholesterol is not very harmful. In a study by University of Kansas researchers, taking 600 milligrams of powdered garlic every day for two weeks reduced LDL oxidation by a remarkable 34 percent. So garlic eaters might have less harmful cholesterol than non-garlic eaters with identical cholesterol counts.

Cholesterol Reducer There is little doubt that garlic reduces blood cholesterol. In studies of people with high cholesterol (over 200), one-half to one whole garlic clove daily typically lowered their levels by about 9 percent, according to a major review of the evidence by Stephen Warshafsky at New York Medical College in Valhalla. Benefits showed up in a month and also came from garlic supplements. Tufts University Diet and Nutrition Letter suggests two cloves of garlic a day might be as potent as some cholesterol-lowering drugs.

The Ultimate Garlic Recipe This recipe may sound formidable to many, but I promise it will make a believer of you! Squeeze the soft garlic from their skins onto warm bread for a sweet, nutty treat. There are many versions of Chicken With Forty Cloves of Garlic, but this one is especially nice and simple, too. It's especially wonderful when made in a clay cooker. Forty-Clove Chicken Filice Val and Elsie Filice, Gilroy, California The Complete Garlic Lovers' Cookbook From Gilroy, Garlic Capital of the World (Ten Speed Press) 1 frying chicken, cut in pieces 40 cloves fresh garlic 1/2 cup dry white wine 1/4 cup dry vermouth 1/4 cup olive oil 4 stalks celery, cut in 1-inch pieces 1 teaspoon oregano 2 teaspoons dry basil 6 sprigs minced parsley Pinch of crushed red Pepper 1 lemon Salt and pepper to taste Place chicken pieces into shallow baking pan, skin side up. Sprinkle all ingredients evenly over top of chicken. Squeeze juice from lemon and pour over top. Cut remaining lemon rind into pieces and arrange throughout chicken. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees F. for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes. Yield: 4 servings

Usage Believe it or not, one raw garlic clove, finely minced or pressed releases more flavor than a dozen cooked whole cloves. When garlic cloves are cooked or baked whole, the flavor mellows into a sweet, almost nutty flavor that hardly resembles any form of pungency. This nutty flavor makes a surprisingly nice addition to desserts, such as brownies or even ice cream. Whole, unpierced cloves barely have any aroma at all, while raw garlic is the strongest in flavor. When sautéing garlic, be very careful not to burn it. The flavor turns intensely bitter, and you'll have to start over. img src="/library/graphics/garlic11.gif" align=right height=75 width=75 alt="(Garlic & cloves graphic)"> There are a myriad of garlic presses available on the market, but I personally prefer the Zyliss/Susi. This is the queen of all garlic presses in my humble opinion, and although it An easy rule of thumb to remember regarding the potency of the flavor of garlic is: The smaller you cut it, the stronger the flavor. Chopping finely and/or pressing a clove exposes more surfaces to the air, causing a chemical reaction to produce that strong aroma. Health Watch Garlic has long been considered a medicinal food, being used to protect against plague by monks of the Middle Ages. Hippocrates used garlic vapors to treat cervical cancer, and garlic poultices were placed on wounds during World War II as an inexpensive, and apparently quite effective replacement for antibiotics, which were scarce during wartime. Now science is beginning to prove the medicinal properties of garlic that our ancestors took for granted. Studies have shown garlic can suppress the growth of tumors, and is a potent antioxidant good for cardiovascular health. Other studies show garlic can reduce LDL or "bad" cholesterol and is a good blood-thinning agent to avoid blood clots that could lead to heart attack or stroke. All this at only 4 calories per clove! Further information is at your fingertips by calling the Garlic Information Hotline from Cornell University Medical College at 1-800-330-5922.

Ooooh...That Smell! And what causes that smell, you may ask? When garlic cells are ruptured by cutting or pressing, they release an enzyme called allinaise chemically changing the inherent alliin into allicin, a sulfur-containing molecule, which results in that heady, pungent garlic smell which is a mainstay in kitchens around the world. These sulphur molecules are absorbed into the bloodstream and lungs, escaping through exhaled air and perspiration. Thus, the garlic breath. And, in some people who consume massive quantities, a noticeable garlicky body odor can result. If you are a garlic-lover, it's wise to surround yourself with others who enjoy garlic, or try munching on parsley to rid yourself of garlic breath. And, to rid your hands of the smell after peeling and/or chopping garlic, simply wash your hands and then rub your clean hands on a chrome faucet. It works like magic! Selection and Storage Choose heads that are firm to the touch, with no nicks or soft cloves. If you notice dark, powdery patches under the skin, pass it up since it's an indication of a common mold which will eventually spoil the flesh. Store unpeeled in an open container in a cool, dry place away from other foods. Do not refrigerate or freeze unpeeled garlic. As garlic ages, it will begin to produce green sprouts in the center of each clove. These infant green sprouts can be bitter, so discard them before chopping the garlic for your recipe. However, if you plant the cloves and let them sprout to a height of about six inches, you can use the sprouts like chives in salads and such. Properly stored garlic can keep up to three months. To peel a clove, place it on a cutting board on its side, and gently press down quickly with the flat side of a butcher knife. The skin should then easily peel off. If you find the skin clinging desperately to the clove, congratulations! You have fresh garlic. As garlic ages, it shrivels inside the skin, making it easier to peel. Garlic can also be purchased as peeled whole cloves or minced, both stored in olive or vegetable oil. It's imperative that garlic in oil be stored under refrigeration to avoid potentially-deadly bacteria growth. If you use a lot of garlic and wish to cut your preparation time down, you can also pre-peel and store your own in olive oil in the refrigerator, but the best flavor will come from freshly-peeled cloves. Use garlic powder, garlic salt, and garlic extract (juice) only as a last resort.

"Each clove of garlic has a sacred power..." -- Reverend Hilderic Friend, 1891 Garlic is one of the most versatile flavors to ever grace a kitchen. It not only tastes wonderful, it's very good for your body. Learn about Mother Nature's most precious gift to cooks of all levels of expertise. You don't have to be dodging vampires to love garlic! Garlic (allium sativum) has lovingly been dubbed The Stinking Rose, yet it is actually a member of the lily (Liliaceae) family and a cousin to onions, leeks, chives, and shallots. The edible bulb or head of garlic is composed of smaller cloves. It's a root crop, with the bulb growing underground. Crops are harvested in mid-July and hung in sheds to dry before reaching their prime in late-July/early-August. There are over 300 varieties of garlic grown worldwide. American garlic, with its white, papery skin and strong flavor is one of the most common varieties. Italian and Mexican garlic, both of which have pink- to purple-colored skins, are slightly milder-flavored varieties. Elephant garlic (allium scorodoprasum), which has very large, extremely mild-flavored cloves, is not a true garlic, but a closer relative to the leek. A Little History The word garlic comes from Old English garleac, meaning "spear leek." Dating back over 6,000 years, it is native to Central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent seasoning in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Eqyptians worshipped garlic and placed clay models of garlic bulbs in the tomb of Tutankhamen. Garlic was so highly-prized, it was even used as currency. And, of course, folklore holds that garlic repels vampires, protects against the Evil Eye, and warded off jealous nymphs said to terrorize pregnant women and engaged maidens. And let us not forget to mention the alleged aphrodisiacal powers of garlic which have been extolled through the ages. Surprisingly, garlic was frowned upon by foodie snobs in the United States until the first quarter of the twentieth century, being found almost exclusively in ethnic dishes in working-class neighborhoods. But, by 1940, America had embraced garlic, finally recognizing its value as not only a minor seasoning, but as a major ingredient in recipes. Quaint diner slang of the 1920's referred to garlic as Bronx vanilla, halitosis, and Italian perfume. Now, Americans alone consume more than 250 million pounds of garlic annually

Turkey Protests Vatican’s Recognition Of Armenian Genocide ANKARA, (AFP, AP, RFE/RL) - Turkey lodged a protest with the Vatican on Tuesday over Pope John Paul II's use of the word "genocide" to describe the killings of Armenians under Ottoman Turkish rule at the start of the last century, a Turkish diplomat said. The Turkish government summoned the Vatican's ambassador to Ankara, Luigi Conti, to the foreign ministry and orally conveyed its disappointment over the Pope's remarks, made in a joint statement with the head of the Armenian Church during a visit to Armenia last week, the diplomat said, asking not to be named. Ankara is disappointed that the pope "darkened Turkey's history" during the visit, the diplomat said. "We pointed out to the ambassador the contradiction between the Pope's previous reassurances to Turkey and the results of his visit," he added. In a letter to Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer ahead of his visit to Armenia, John Paul II had said that Turkey had "nothing to worry about" from the trip. The letter had been in response to a message from Ankara to the Vatican saying that the papal visit to Armenia "should not tarnish Turks and their history". Turkey categorically rejects claims of genocide, saying that around 300,000 Armenians and thousands of Turks were killed in fighting when Armenians, then subjects of the Ottoman Empire, sided with invading Russian troops in the hope of carving out an independent state in eastern Anatolia. However, by most historical accounts, as many as 1.5 million people died as a result of an Ottoman government effort to exterminate the ethnic Armenian population of the crumbling empire. The statement issued in Yerevan last Thursday by John Paul II and Catholicos II said: “The extermination of 1.5 million Armenian Christians, in what is generally referred to as the first genocide of the 20th century, and the subsequent annihilation of thousands under the former totalitarian regime are tragedies that still live in the memory of the present-day generation." The pope paid tribute to the victims of the tragedy the previous day when he led a prayer service at the genocide memorial in Yerevan. Ankara refuses to establish diplomatic relations with Armenia as long as it does not give up its campaign for the international recognition of the genocide, and resolves a conflict over the Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Artsax in Azerbaijan, a close ally of Turkey.

TURKEY PROMISES MILITARY AID TO BAKU IN CASE OF HOSTILITIES RESUMPTION YEREVAN, OCTOBER 2, ARMENPRESS: Azerbaijani defense minister Safar Abiyev was quoted by a Baku-based ANS news agency as saying that "in case of resumption of hostilities over Nagorno Karabagh Turkey will provide Azerbaijan with military hardware and troops ." Azeri defense minister made the announcement after meeting with his Turkish counterpart Cakmakogli in Ankara. Though no information about the details of talks is available but the two ministers are believed to have discussed bilateral military cooperation and prospects for signing a relevant agreement. According to the agreement, which is supposed to be signed by the end of the year, Turkey commits to provide every kind of military assistance to Azerbaijani army to help it correspond with NATO standards

WORLD U-SHU CHAMPIONSHIP IN YEREVAN POSTPONED FOR ONE MONTH YEREVAN, OCTOBER 1, ARMENPRESS: The Armenian Federation of U-Shu has said to Armenpress that the sixth world championship, which was originally scheduled for October 1 in Yerevan, has been postponed for one month. The decision was made after the president of the International U-Shu Federation had asked Armenia to put off the championship because of September 11 terrorist acts in the USA.

A SPORT COMPLEX TO BE BUILT IN GYUMRI GYUMRI, OCTOBER 2, ARMENPRESS A large sport complex will be built in the second largest Armenian town of Gyumri in the next two-three years with a total cost of about $12 mln. The program, to be realized by Hayastan Pan-Armenian fund, will be financed by 'Alliance Armenie,' an organization of Catholic Armenians of France. A relevant agreement was made with the organization and the list of facilities, the complex is supposed to shelter, has been already received. According to the sport department of the governor's office, the sport complex will have a closed stadium with 5,000 seats, two open stadiums, tennis-courts, a game hall with 1,000 seats, weight-lifting and wrestling gyms, rehabilitation center and swimming-pool, as well as other facilities for sportsmen and sport fans. The construction of the stadium is supposed to start in 2002.

ARMENIA TO FACE NEW CHALLENGE IN COUNCIL OF EUROPE YEREVAN, OCTOBER 2, ARMENPRESS: The Azerbaijani delegation to the Council of Europe put into circulation at Council of Europe parliamentary Assembly (PACE) session of September 24-28 a document which requires that the Council of Europe should discuss ways for regulation of Karabagh conflict. The document has been signed by 50 deputies, which, according to the Armenian delegation, "is a serious figure." "We have been warning that Azerbaijan feels strong in the Council of Europe and will try to transfer Karabagh conflict discussions to that body and there is a great probability that what is written in the document may become real," a member of the Armenian delegation Armen Rustamian said. The document suggests that the Council of Europe political committee should embark on discussions of Karabagh regulation. Rustamian said that Armenia must be ready to meet this new challenge "and I am sure that our arguments are stronger and in case of serious discussions Armenia may appear on the favorable side." The head of the Armenian delegation to the Council of Europe Hovanes Hovanisian said that the Azerbaijani document is to be approved by the Council of Europe bureau on November 8. "If the document is approved and the discussions will start we shall try to present a legal regulation model," he said.

RUSSIAN CONSULATE GENERAL OPENED IN GUMRI 02.10.2001 /PanARMENIAN.Net/ In Gyumri Peter Sulimko is appointed Consul General of the Russian Federation on the decree of President of Russia Vladimir Putin. Opening of the Consulate in the second by significance city of Armenia is conditioned by the fact that the 102-nd Russian military base is located here. The Consulate is situated in the former building of city Public Prosecutor's Office. Three persons will work at the Consulate: the Consul, his Deputy and Secretary. Reproduction in full or in part is prohibited without reference to "PanARMENIAN.Net"

ALEN MANUKIAN FRENCH COUTURIER INTENDS TO COOPERATE WITH ARMENIAN KNITTING MILLS 02.10.2001 /PanARMENIAN.Net/ Alen Manukian French couturier considers the opportunity of signing contracts with knitting mills of Armenia. As reported by "Arminfo" agency, Manukian will arrive in Armenia on a business visit in the end of the year. King of knitted wear, as they call him, lately visited Yerevan, where he participated in celebrations dedicated to the 1700-th anniversary of adoption of Christianity in Armenia. Within the framework of the couturier's trip he profited by the occasion to familiarize himself with the local producers of knitted fabric and the works of Armenian young designers. Defile specially for Alen Manukian was organized by "Atex" fashion centre. In the organizers' words, the couturier was pleasantly surprised by the professional level of Yerevan modelers. Alen Manukian also visited knitting enterprises of the Republic, in particular, Charentsavan garment factory

"NAIRIT" ENTERPRISE WILL THREE TIMES INCREASE VOLUME OF CAOUTCHOUC OUTPUT AFTER PRIVATIZATION 02.10.2001 /PanARMENIAN.Net/ Volume of chloroprene caoutchouc output at "Nairit" enterprise may increase three times after coming to terms with "Inter Contact" Ukrainian company on purchase of 51% of shares of the enterprise. As reported by "Arminfo" agency, the agreement is planned to be signed within this month. While at present "Nairit" produces 500 tons of caoutchouc a month (6 thousand tons a year), after privatization the volume of output is planned to increase up to 15-20 thousand tons a year. "Inter Contact" Ukrainian public corporation will buy 51% of "Nairit" state JSC stocks by means of issuing common nominal shares for 6.6 billion drams (approximately 12 million dollars). The total estimated cost of the project including the investments makes 22 million dollars. Reproduction in full or in part is prohibited without reference to "PanARMENIAN.Net"