Inspiration: a clove

After making breakfast, (a new take on scrambled eggs, low and slow with a spot of water and pepper), I found this bit of deliciousness sitting in my windowsill.

I immediately began the rumination on what it might become. Pesto? Scampi? I have basil. I have shrimp.

And then I started thinking about how much eating and drinking versatility comes with a little bud like this.

Since I moved into this adventures-of-cooking-life, I'm not sure much time has ever passed without the effect of garlic and its aromatic flavor in my cooking or dining. Garlic is transitive. It steps into your pan and changes everything around it, including the very air. What strength, what power and then, what joy.

It made me consider the short list:
Chicken, roasted, pan seared, baked or barbecued
A salad dressing
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Any pasta sauce
Any reduction, in fact
Rubbed on the steak
Stuck into the roast - the lamb, the beef
With every wine
With every citrus
In French, Italian, and Mexican styles

All good. Not so with oatmeal though. But then again, neither is cilantro.
I'll be happy to see where it goes today.

And I'll let you know. What is your favorite taste with garlic?