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Recipe of the Week: Easton Garlic Fest celebrates ingredient used throughout the world

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Pungent garlic is one of those foods people either love or hate. When we like it, it flavors our sauces, turns sweet when we roast it, and helps boost our immune systems.

Fans of garlic will celebrate the opportunity to “Eat, Drink, Stink” this weekend at the Easton Garlic Fest 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 1 and 2.

They will have the chance to dine on dozens of dishes and taste a variety of beverages – savory to sweet – flavored with garlic as well as vote in a people’s choice contest. Vendors will be selling garlic products and visitors will be able to watch a garlic dessert contest, several mystery basket cookoffs and a cookoff by three local mayors.

There also will be children’s cooking contests where they will be asked to prepare garlic pasta dishes.

The popular festival traditionally draws thousands, which is no surprise since garlic has been cultivated and eaten for more than 5,000 years.

Ancient Egyptians were the first to document garlic for culinary and medicinal uses. They also used it as an aphrodisiac and as currency. It spread from its origins in middle Asia to its current use throughout the world.

As a medicine, garlic is credited with improving cardiovascular health, decreasing high blood pressure, reducing inflammation, preventing wrinkles and reducing high blood sugar and cholesterol. It is believed that eating garlic helps to improve the body’s ability to utilize minerals.

Garlic is an ingredient in many recipes including soups, dips, baked goods, sauces, meatballs and pasta dishes. If you roast a bulb of garlic the cloves inside turn soft and sweet. And apparently it even can be used in desserts, as evidenced by the garlic festival’s dessert contest.

Enjoying garlic can be as simple as this tasteofhome.com recipe for biscuits made from a biscuit/baking mix. They are great served with a bowl of chili, soup or stew.

Garlic and Onion Biscuits

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups biscuit/baking mix

½ teaspoon dried thyme

2/3 cup 2% milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir 3 to 4 minutes or until tender. Stir in garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Cool completely.

2. In a large bowl, combine baking mix, thyme and onion mixture; make a well in center. Pour milk into well; stir just until moistened. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto a greased baking sheet.

3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.


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