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Consider Black Garlic A Karmic Experience

Photo by JADEN HAIR

Aged black garlic is the new "it" ingredient, matte black and gooey soft with a chewy texture.

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By JADEN HAIR

Tribune correspondent

Published: March 26, 2009

Why is it that Asian ingredients that are "good for you" are so darn ugly and nasty sounding? Mom used to feed me and my brother bird's nest soup, chilled frog jelly soup and countless other strange protein specimens that would probably make you wonder how I'm still alive today.

The latest "it" ingredient is aged black garlic. It's matte black and gooey soft with a chewy texture. It's the new plaything of gourmet restaurant kitchens across the United States, and its recent appearance on "Top Chef" and "Iron Chef" television shows created newfound fame for this otherwise frightful thing. Trust me, if you found this on your kitchen counter and didn't know that it was supposed to be black, you'd probably think it was rotten.

It's not. It's "aged," a more pleasant way to describe the process of letting time and temperature do their thing. I spoke with Scott Kim, CEO of Black Garlic, and he told me that garlic heads grown in Korea or California are put into a machine he invented that fluctuates the temperature and humidity for 30 days. What supposedly results is a garlic that has twice the antioxidants of regular garlic.

Some articles hint that black garlic has been used as a superfood for hundreds of years in Korea and Japan. Kim says he invented it just a handful of years ago after he heard a story about it from someone in the garlic business in Korea. I asked him how people used to make black garlic before his magical machine, and he told me he didn't know. The scientific study done in Korea of the antioxidant level is not available online, although Kim did offer to send me information in Korean.

I'm highly skeptical about the origins of black garlic and its superfood status. But there's one thing I'm sure of: I love the taste. It's sweet, mild and caramel-ly, reminding me of flavors of molasses. When you bite into a raw clove, you don't get that harsh hit-you-in-the-face taste that regular garlic has. It's smooth and soft, and the garlic flavor is mellowed out times 100.

I was lucky enough to get a few heads to play with from my friend chef David Eger of Earthy.com, where they sell 4 ounces of black garlic for $10. I've sliced a few cloves. (As best as I could ... it's so soft, it's difficult to slice!) I fried them in olive oil with scallops, and it was dynamo.

Chef Mark of The Culinary Media Network in New York ( www.culinarymedianetwork.com) made a bruschetta out of a few cloves for our dinner party and people could not stop eating it. I had to steal a few bruschettas off of people's plates just to get a photograph of it!

Is it an ancient Asian secret superfood? I don't know and I'm trying to withhold judgment until an independent lab in the United States can verify and publish the results in English. Try aged, black garlic for its taste. I like using the black garlic raw (like in a bruschetta), roasted whole cloves and then smeared on toasted bread with a drizzle of olive oil, or sliced and fried like in this recipe.

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH BLACK GARLIC

Even if you don't have black garlic, this is a simple recipe for scallops. Just substitute the black garlic with regular garlic. But don't expect any canoodling afterward, unless you and your significant other are both having the dish!

3 tablespoons butter, divided

16 extra-large, dry-packed scallops, patted very dry (about 11/2 pounds)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 cloves black garlic, thinly sliced (or use regular garlic)

1 to 2 teaspoons finely minced jalapeno pepper

1/4 cup white wine

2 teaspoons good balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Heat a large frying pan with just 2 tablespoons of the butter over high heat. Season the scallops with salt and pepper, and when the butter is bubbling, gently lay the scallops in the pan, not touching. Sear the scallops and cook for 4 minutes, turning once. They should have a lovely golden brown color on both sides. Transfer to a platter.

To the same hot pan on high heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the garlic slices and the jalapeno pepper and fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour the white wine and balsamic vinegar into the pan. Let simmer for 1 minute, season with salt and pepper and add the fresh parsley. Pour over scallops.

Serves 4

STEAMY KITCHEN FAVES

Michele Northrup is a mom to three 11-year old boys and works as a fundraising coordinator for their school in Tampa. In her spare time, she runs an all-natural sauce company called Intensity Academy. Her Chai Chipotle hot sauce is made from carrots, chai tea, chipotle and habanero peppers. The Green Tea Gourmet is an instant gingery stir fry sauce for your veggies. My favorite sauce is their Chai Chipotle Chup; it's ketchup with an attitude that won the 2008 Scovie award (like an Emmy, but much tastier.) I love that instead of the standard water that's added to most other sauces, hers contain fresh-brewed chai or green tea. Who knew hot sauce could be so healthy? You can find Northrup and her 'chups monthly at the St. Pete Saturday Morning Market, or go online at www.intensityacademy.com. Special for Trib readers: Any five bottles for $20 plus shipping.

For more food adventures, visit Jaden's Web site at www.steamykitchen.com.

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