Nose vs. Palate - What's New? Winter Gear & Food Fest - onion, garlic products - Brief Article

Many people are turned off by the aromas of garlic and onions, but few can deny how they enrich flavor. As complements to a vast variety of dishes, or even eaten alone, they do wonders for any meal. Accordingly, put us solidly in the palate column in this ongoing argument.

Sort of conceding the sniffers' complaints, The Stinking Rose, a proudly proclaimed garlic restaurant in San Francisco and Beverly Hills, trumpets the herb's aroma in its name. To spread the word beyond its California base, the restaurant has put out a wide range of garlic-flavored products--pasta sauce, salad dressing, extra virgin olive oil, barbeque sauce, and potato chips --as well as garlic-stuffed olives and pickled garlic. Each adds that wonderful pungency the innocent-looking white bulb imparts. Unless you come from a long line of vampires, ignore whatever objection you might have to the smell and dig right in.

Onions have less of an olfactory reputation, except among those who have to peel them amidst a cascade of tears. The herb's versatility permits it to be served raw or cooked in a virtually unlimited number of ways. Slowly sauteing them until they caramelize is hard to beat for overwhelming sweetness. Urban Farms Food Company, North Hollywood, Calif., takes the labor out of the operation with a trio of jarred products that merely have to be opened and spooned out. The basic caramelized onions are joined by honey jalapeno and onion savory marmalade and Tuscan pinenut/Parmesan blend. Whether it is spread on bread or crackers; ladled over meat, chicken, or fish; heaped onto a sandwich; or mixed in with grilled vegetables, the wonderful taste makes any dish sublime.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Society for the Advancement of Education
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group