This Creamy Garlic Pasta (Jessica in the Kitchen) elevates the normal pasta sauce to Italian gourmet. Yet it’s surprisingly simple to make, with just a few ingredients including plastic-free pasta. The rich creamy sauce contains shiitake mushrooms and tomatoes, and vegan cream cheese for a ‘quick cheat’ cream alternative. Serve with vegan Parmesan.
Garlic (along with all alliums) are unsafe near animal friends (along with many other ingredients used alongside garlic like mushrooms, citrus fruits and fresh dough). keeping people & pets safe in the kitchen.
Bin garlic (and other allium) scraps (plus citrus/rhubarb scraps), as the acid can harm compost creatures.
A Tomato Garlic Sauce Recipe
Tomato Garlic Sauce (Jessica in the Kitchen)
How to Buy & Prepare Garlic
Garlic comes in several varieties, each offering unique flavours and characteristics. Softneck garlic is the most common, and elephant garlic is actually a type of leek, but less overpowering in taste.
To keep garlic fresh, store bulbs in a cool, dry place. Avoid the fridge; instead, opt for a mesh bag or basket that allows air circulation. Proper storage can keep garlic usable for months.
Chopping garlic may seem simple, but doing it right can enhance your cooking experience. Follow this step-by-step guide for effective chopping: For those busy weeknights, a garlic press can be a must-have tool. Here’s why using a garlic press is beneficial: Otherwise:
Peel a clove and place the flat side of a knife over the clove and apply gentle pressure to crush it slightly. This will loosen the skin, making it easy to peel off. Use a small knife to trim the root end, then chop lengthwise into strips, and across to create tiny pieces.
To mince for extra flavour, use the flat side of the knife to press down on the chopped garlic, rocking the knife back and forth.
The History of Garlic in England
Garlic first arrived to England’s shores in 1548, used to treat skin diseases and cholera (and even to treat soldiers during the 1918 influenza pandemic). European Joseph Pilates taught prisoners with influenza his exercises. Hitler wanted him to train troops. But as a pacifist, instead he escaped by boat (where he met his wife) and that’s how Pilates started.
Garlic soon fell out of favour but became popular again in Victorian times, when people discovered French food. Isle of Wight garlic farm says that when it opened in the 80s, some people believed it would not succeed. But they knew better, as the co-founder’s granny had planted some after three French fighters in Cowes missed it so much, they asked a resistance fighter to fly some out!
Cauliflower Mash with Garlic & Black Pepper
This recipe for mashed cauliflower with garlic and black pepper (The First Mess) is a super-simple side dish to make, or a delicious snack on its own. Easy to make on the stove, the garlic is fried in vegan butter, before being mixed with the cauliflower, vegetable stock, lemon peel, miso, salt and pepper.
Once cooked, remove the lemon peel then blend the sauce and adding lemon juice. The mashed cauliflower is then coated with a vegan butter drizzle. The butter is flavoured with vegan Worcestershire sauce and black pepper.
Avoid miso if pregnant/nursing (unpasteurised). Choose vegan butters without palm oil.
Don’t feed leftover mash to birds, due to salt and fat, which can smear on feathers, affecting insulation and waterproofing.
Everyone loves mashed potatoes, so it’s a good idea to invest in a good masher, as it makes all the difference between lumpy and smooth mashed potatoes.
Good Grips Potato Masher is good for people with arthritis hands, and can also be used to mash other vegetables like swede. It costs around £10, but should last you a lifetime.
Make Your Own Vegan Garlic Bread
Garlic bread is on the menu for pasta night! But most ready-made garlic bread made with factory-farmed animal ingredients in plastic packaging. So why not make your own? Vegan Garlic Bread (The Veg Space) is made with parsley, Flora vegan butter (no palm oil) and vegan cheese.
Garlic bread is a dish created by Italian-American immigrants, updating the Italian bruschetta (served with olive oil before butter was used), slicing a baguette diagonally to stuff with butter, herbs (and sometimes cheese) before baking in the oven. It’s usually then torn at the table, to accompany a meal.
Garlic bread – it’s the future. I’ve tasted it. Brian Potter (played by Peter Kay in Phoenix Nights)
Garlic & Herb Vegan Cheese Alternative
Kinda Co Garlic Herb Vegan Cheese Alternative is handcrafted by experts in beautiful Somerset. This is lovely served with crusty bread or as part of a vegan cheeseboard.
You can freeze this cheese on the day of delivery, and use within 6 months (thaw overnight in the fridge before eating). It’s expensive, but no more than artisan dairy cheese, so buy a few in to freeze, and serve as a treat, when company arrives!
You can recycle the packaging (reuse the ice pack or drain contents and recycle the liner – keep dry ice away from children and pets).