Veronica's Kitchen Day 3: Garlic

Oh......Garlic........or as my French and Italian friends call it,
Ail, or Aglio...

Not one substance or food item has ever turned me around 180 degrees, quite like garlic!  As a grade-schooler coming to the U.S.,  it was the most scary, stinky thing to be associated with. Oh, the horror of being identified as "the foreign kid", when a strong pungeant odor would emerge from my lunch pail, while the other kids enjoyed a modest peanut-butter and jelly sandwich. You see, back then, hummus and tabouleh were virtually unknown foods (yes, even in hip Los Angeles, California). But mom and grandma were not hip to American customs back then. They knew nothing about new world foods.  All that mattered to them was feeding their kids healthy, nutrient-dense lunches. But tell that to a shy, awkward nine-year old when she was fed a devilish substance that stank not just once,  but hours later,  in a stinky burp. Yikes.  Awkward.



Garlic crushed the traditional way: Mortar and pestle

Fast forward, years later: General American culture begins to expand its curious palate with Middle Eastern and other ethnic foods, (hummus becoming one of the most popular). A wider acceptance of garlic emerges, and along the way, my grown-up palate falls back in love with this most aromatic bulb.  I love garlic so much, that I admit to sometimes doubling the quantity in my recipes (only when I cook for myself, of course). In any case, without garlic, you simply miss out on loads of flavor.   Ask any Italian!   Not to mention its massive health benefits, burp or no burp :)

So, here is a dish grandma would cook for us well into her 80's, with a hint of garlic.
Super nutritious, full of protein and iron, and super easy to make.

Spinach and Garbanzo Stir

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 16-ounce can garbanzo beans
• Up to 3 cups fresh(or more), large leaf fresh spinach(may use baby spinach if needed)
• 1-inch section fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 head of fresh garlic, sliced or chopped
• Lemon, freshly juiced
• Red pepper flakes, to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Pita bread, to accompany

Heat olive oil in non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add crushed ginger and stir for a minute. Add garbanzos and garlic. Do not let garlic burn. Stir for another minute or two. Add spinach until just wilted.  Don't overcook the spinach.  Add a teaspoon or so of lemon juice and stir. Add your seasoning, to taste. Serve hot!