Bought my first bulb of new season's ‘wet’ garlic last week - another clear sign of summer coming, if not (on the occasional day) already here. Wet garlic is the one pulled straight from the ground and sold with a healthy, fat, pale green stem and a bulb that’s clean and white. When it is as fresh as this its flavour is milder and sweeter and the cloves are juicy and tender. Use it quickly though as it deteriorates quickly, one week in the fridge is about it, after that it has dried out and shrunk.

Being milder it can be enjoyed in large quantities, and that has to be good for your health as well as your taste buds. Once again this recipe includes bacon - but doesn’t have to - so it’s a good one to do when the vegetarians are joining you for lunch.

Ingredients - serves 4

8 rashers bacon
8 slices ciabatta
2 heads of wet garlic
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig sage
1 small sprig rosemary
2 fresh bay leaves
1 lemon
1 bunch watercress, coarsely chopped
2 cans cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 carton crème fraiche
2 Capricorn goat’s cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
salt, pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C
Cut the stems away from the heads of garlic and open by pushing the cloves apart. Using a small oven proof pot, place the garlic and herbs together with juice from half the lemon and a generous amount of olive oil. Cover tightly with foil and roast for half an hour or until the garlic is soft and tender - the oil will be beautifully flavoured.

Grill the rashers of bacon and keep warm. Heat the cannellini beans gently in the crème fraiche and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the garlic from the oil and herbs and squeeze the cloves out of their skins and add to the pot of beans. Finally stir in the watercress and add a little lemon juice to taste, keep warm.

Brush the slices of ciabatta with the richly flavoured garlic and herb oil and toast to golden on both sides then sit discs of goat’s cheese on each and grill again briefly to begin to melt it without burning the bruschetta. Transfer to plates allowing 2 per person and spoon the garlicy beans and watercress over the cheese then top each with a slice of crispy bacon.