All you need to know about garlic healthy properties

Some people love it, some other hate it, probably for that terrible breath that leaves on everybody's mouth when we eat it. I am talking about garlic, one of the kings in Sicilian cuisine. Raw or cooked you find it in innumerable Mediterrenean recipes, but the majority of people probably doesn't know the amazing healthy properties of this incredible herb, used as a medicine throughout history to help treating a large varieties of diseases such as:

1. Common cold and sore throat 
2. Blood system and hypertension
3. Everything connected to the heart: heart attack, coronary condition, high cholesterol
4. Osteoarthritis and artherioscerosis
5. Prevention of some cancers: lung, prostate, breast, stomach, rectal  and colon cancer

Especially during this time of the year in which winter is about to come (or in some countries has already arrived) just keep in mind that eating raw garlic in food can be a big help to strengthen your immune system, fight seasonal colds and also an amazing prevention for more serious situations.

The bruschetta as a starter could be an idea, pasta with Sicilian pesto could be another one and a potato side-dish a third one. These are only few recipes that I suggest to refresh your mind. Enjoy!

The basics of Sicilian Cuisine: the "Soffritto"

The soffritto is the basis and essence of Sicilian Cuisine

Do you know what does "soffritto" mean? This word is one of the most common in cooking Sicilian or Italian style. It actually is both a noun and a past participle for us, referred to the verb "to brown" or "to sautee".

In our cuisine we usually distinguish three different types of soffritto: the principal ingredient of the three is obviously the excellent extra virgin oil of olive. Then we can have (according to the dish we have to prepare) a soffritto made with garlic or a soffritto made with onions. The garlic can be normal or "in camicia", (literally with shirt). It means you can use the clove without removing its skin. This happens usually when it's really late and you don't have a minute to spend for peeling the cloves.

We have some pasta condiments that need garlic, some other onions so it really depends on the recipes, normally we tend to use more garlic for fish and onion for meat.

The third one (pic above) is the one that I call the 'mix soffritto' because it is made with a mix of thinly chopped onion, celery and carrots and we use it for long preparations like ragù with minced meat or wherever you need a stronger parfumed soffritto.

Now, it is very important to understand a couple of secrets for the best result of this elementary recipe: (which technically is not a proper recipe but just the first phase of lots of recipes!)

- keep the gas on a medium heat

- do not let the garlic or the onion burn, because we are not frying we are browning so they have to become kind of golden.

- when you cook something like a big piece of meat, prepare the mix soffritto and after 4-5 minutes in which the ingredients are sauteeing and getting golden, add a glass of water and half a glass of white or red wine while the meat is cooking and don't forget some salt and pepper.

So from now on, whenever you find the word "soffritto" you know what you have to do. Have fun :-)