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This is certainly not your everyday garlic, and unless you’re
a chef, a serious foodie, or an avidwatcher of food TV, you
might not know about it at all; chefs have been raving
about black garlic for years. And not that there’s a thing
wrong at all with your everyday ivory cloves of this pun-
gent allium, but the black version is quite a different crea-
ture altogether. There’s a lot going onwhen you put a
sliver of black garlic in yourmouth. First, there’s a big hit
of sweetness, a hint of smoke, then a lot of pungency.
It’s not quite like anything else you’ve ever eaten.
Indeed it is black, but not black as in burned, although
there’s a faint smokiness. How it gets that waywas
through fermentation, an ancientmethod of pre-
serving foods that has recently
provoked interest among
many home cooks
and chefs. The practice of fermentinggarlic is Korean in
origin.Whenwhole heads of garlic are fermented over a
four-week period, each clove becomes black throughout.
Because the fermenting process takes so long, it’s also
called aged garlic. The cloves remain intact but become
soft, almost like a jelly candy or aMedjool date, and, in
fact, the Japanese call it “fruit garlic.” They are sweet
except for that pungent, garlic-likewhiff that remains
long after the first hit of sweetmolasses has faded.
Fermentationgreatly alters foods— the color, texture,
scent, and flavors, whichbecomemore complex and
removed from theoriginal. Inaddition, theprocess produces
glutamates, which create thegrounding sensationofmeati-
ness or umami, adeeply savory flavor. Fermented foods are
said tohavemore antioxidants thanunfermented, aremore
digestible, andarebetter overall for us as a sourceof probi-
otics. But black garlic is,most of all, an exoticnew ingredi-
ent that’s beingused inall kinds ofways—with fish,
shellfish, onbruschetta, in risotto, on steak, and evenon
pizzaanddesserts. It’s odd, exciting, andprettynew tous.
BLACK
GARLIC
MASHED POTATOES
WITHBLACKGARLIC,GHEE, AND SHALLOTS
Serves 4
After trying it variousways, I settledonmakingmashedpotatoes
punctuatedwith the black garlic cookedbrieflywithghee and shallots.
Heat tempers the oddness of the garlic andmakes it better.
INGREDIENTS
1 pound russet potatoes
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3
cup ghee
1/3
cup diced shallots
5 cloves black garlic, finely diced
1. Peel the potatoes, cut them into small, even-size chunks, then put
them in a panwith coldwater to cover. Add 1 teaspoon sea salt and
bring to a boil. Simmer until the potatoes are soft enough tomash,
about 25minutes, then drain and set aside.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, melt the ghee in a small skillet and
add the shallots and garlic. Cook for about 3minutes on low heat,
then let stand for the flavors tomeld.
3. Place potatoes in a large bowl andmash them until they are
smooth. Mix in the ghee and garlicmixture and seasonwell with salt
and pepper. Servewith flakyMaldon sea salt.
59
celebratedliving.com
FALL 2012
