Cooking with Black Garlic

Joe and Son's Olive Oils is introducing a simple food with a wonderfully complex flavor. Black garlic is "sweet meets savory", a perfect mix of molasses-like richness and tangy garlic undertones. It has a tender, almost jelly-like texture with a melt-in-your-mouth consistency similar to a soft dried fruit. Hard to believe, but true. It’s as delicious as it is unique.

In Taoism mythology, black garlic was rumored to grant immortality. We can’t promise you that, but there’s no doubt that black garlic is great for your health—it’s loaded with nearly twice as many antioxidants as raw garlic. It also contains S-Allycysteine, which is fancy talk for a natural compound that has been proven to be a factor in cancer prevention.

Okay, so you're thinking..."Cut to the chase and tell me what I can do with it".

Here is a delicious dish featuring Black Garlic.

 

Prepare, and enjoy!!!

 

 

 

Linguine with Mushrooms and Black Garlic
Serves 2

1/4 cup Joe and Son’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil  (I used Cobrancosa Moderate intensity EVOO)
a very generous grind of black pepper
6 to 8 ounces sliced mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
8 cloves black garlic, peeled and sliced  (May be purchased at Joe and Son’s Olive Oils)
1 medium to large shallot, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
salt, to taste
freshly grated Parmesan

8 ounces uncooked linguine . 
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Cook the pasta according to package directions.

As pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large, deep nonstick skillet over a medium flame. Grind black pepper into the oil as it heats.

Add mushrooms and black garlic to pan and toss to coat with oil.

Cook for about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium low and add shallot to pan. Cook, stirring frequently—you want to sweat the shallot, not brown it.

When pasta is done cooking (keep it on the al dente side—it will continue to cook when added to the mushroom garlic mixture), turn off the heat under the skillet. Drain the pasta, reserving a half cup or so of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta to the skillet and toss to combine. Add the basil and toss. Season with salt to taste. If the pasta is too dry (ours wasn’t), add some reserved pasta water, a couple of tablespoons at a time.

Divide the pasta mixture into two pasta bowls. Then spoon the mushrooms and black garlic remaining in the pan over the tops of the bowls. Top with freshly grated Parmesan and serve.