To me and many cooks I know, the appearance of green garlic shoots at the market is the real spring harbinger on the East Coast. Along with asparagus, fava beans and peas, wild fiddlehead ferns and ramps, green garlic’s arrival means the earth has finally consented to give us something hopeful and verdant while we await summer’s bounty.
At first glance, you may mistake green garlic for scallions or baby leeks, for they have a rather similar appearance. Get closer and you will notice a faint but distinct garlicky aroma. Essentially, these shoots are infants, harvested early. Left in the ground, they will continue to mature and by midsummer will form recognizable heads.
Green spring garlic can be used in any recipe that calls for garlic. It is milder than mature garlic, though, so you can increase the quantity without fear of overkill. Peel away the tough outer layer and trim off the roots. Chop both white and tender green parts and proceed. Use it raw in salad dressing or for a fresh-tasting gremolata. For hot dishes, I usually find it tastes best barely cooked, so I add it at the end, for no more than five minutes or so.
I have long been a fan of garlic soup, for which green garlic is a perfect candidate. The other day I used a fat bunch of it to make a rustic garlicky chicken soup. I had no chicken stock and not much time, so I employed an unconventional technique to maximize the flavor. Browning whole chicken legs was the first step, and browning a goodly amount of diced onion came next. Simmering these two caramelized ingredients with a minimal amount of water produced an intense concentrated broth in little more than an hour.
The taste of the broth after the green garlic was added conjured the memory of a Mexican sopa de ajo, which prompted me to turn it into a spicy garlic soup. This was accomplished with a simple relish-like salsa of finely diced green tomatillo, jalapeño and onion, along with a squeeze of lime, providing a welcome bit of acidity and crunch.
Was the final flourish really seasonal? I suppose not, but it still felt like a celebration of spring.
Spicy Green Garlic Chicken Soup
Time: 1 1/2 hours
Yield: 4 servings
For the Soup:
4 large chicken legs (thigh and drumstick), about 3 pounds
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced, about 3 cups
4 medium carrots, peeled, cut in 2-inch chunks
1 celery stalk, diced
1 bay leaf
1 clove
2 bunches green garlic shoots, about 12 shoots (may substitute wild ramps)
For the Salsa:
1 small white onion, finely diced, soaked in cold water for 1 hour, about 1/2 cup
3 or 4 large tomatillos, husked and finely diced, about 1/2 cup
1 or 2 jalapeño peppers, seeds removed, finely chopped
3 tablespoons lime juice
Lime wedges, for serving
1. Season chicken legs generously with salt and pepper. Pour olive oil into a Dutch oven or similar pot over medium-high heat. Add chicken legs and brown well, about 3 minutes per side. Remove and set aside. Add diced yellow onion and cook, stirring frequently, until browned and softened, about 5 minutes. Add carrots, celery, bay leaf and clove and return chicken to pot.
2. Add 10 cups water and 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until chicken is tender, but not falling off the bone, about 1 hour. Turn off heat and skim fat from surface of broth. (May be prepared up to this point several hours ahead, or up to a day in advance, and refrigerated.)
3. While chicken is cooking, prepare the green garlic shoots: peel tough outer layers and roots, then rinse well. Split shoots lengthwise and chop both white and tender green parts. Set aside.
4. Make the tomatillo salsa: drain diced white onion and transfer to a small bowl. Add tomatillo, jalapeño, lime juice and a little salt and stir together.
5. Just before serving, reheat soup, add chopped green garlic to pot and simmer 5 minutes. To serve, put one chicken leg in each bowl (alternatively, remove meat from bone and shred) and ladle soup over it. Pass tomatillo salsa and lime wedges at the table.
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