Black Garlic / Ajo Negro

I love shopping at my Farmer's Market. I can find new ingredients almost every week. Rich and I have been looking for new foods to try. We have been walking slowly through Farmer's Markets in search of new ingredients and especially a new variety of garlic, the edible bulb that gives so much flavor to our dishes. 

Most supermarkets in San Diego only carry three major varieties of garlic; the white-skinned strongly flavored American garlic, Mexican and Italian garlic, which have purplish-colored skins and milder flavors, and the white-skinned mild flavored elephant garlic, which has very large cloves. Fortunately we can also find these varieties at our favorite Farmer's Market plus, we can find green garlic, too. Green garlic is young garlic before it begins to form cloves. We have tried all these varieties from the Market and I am now growing garlic chives in my garden. I like to eat the young chives and even the flowers. I add them to mashed potatoes and omelets. 

Last week I found a new kind of garlic that I had never seen before - black garlic. I didn't get this at the Farmer's Market though. I got it at a Whole Foods store. It was packed in a see-through plastic bag and it didn't look much different then an American garlic, except that its skin color was darker, not black, just a little darker. It looked interesting so I bought it. I used it for the first time last night. It was very surprising to see that the peeled clove is black in color. I have never seen anything like this before! Black garlic is not strong in flavor or odor as other garlics. Its flavor is sweet like a dried plum and its texture is soft and sticky like a prune. I read that this garlic goes through a fermentation process that changes its texture, flavor and appearance. What is great about this is that nothing is added to it, it just needs a month of fermentation at high temperatures to become this delicious ingredient. Black garlic is becoming popular across the United States but it is still a little pricey ($3.99 for 2 bulbs). It can be purchased in specialty stores or on line. I prepared a lemon-butter sauce for pasta in which I used some of this garlic and I really liked the flavor that it gave to my pasta sauce. 

Pasta with Black Garlic-Lemon-Butter Sauce and Rainbow Chard

1/2 lb. whole wheat angle hair pasta

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 T. unsalted butter

4 black garlic cloves, sliced

1/2 t. red crushed pepper

1 t. lemon zest

1 T. lemon juice

1 bunch rainbow chard, cleaned and roughly chopped (I picked this from my garden!!)

Salt to taste

In a large pot cook pasta in salted boiling water for 6-8 minutes or following the direction on the box. While pasta is cooking heat the oil and butter in a large skillet. Add the garlic and pepper flakes, cook until aromatic, about 1 minute. Stir in lemon zest and lemon juice. Add the rainbow chard and cook for a couple of minutes. Add salt to taste. Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet, toss to combine. Serve hot sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

The Colors of Glass

This year the Salk Institute is celebrating its 50th anniversary with an exposition of Chihuly's blown glass sculptures. They called it Chihuly At The Salk. 

Rich and I visited the Salk Institute this week and took a guided tour of the exposition. It was spectacular!  We have been fans of this artist for quite some time so we were very happy to know that his art was going to be here in San Diego, we couldn't miss it. This is the first time I have been on the premises of the Salk Institute. The site itself is so beautiful! Knowing that there are so many genius people working there makes the atmosphere wonderful and just being there made me feel smart! The architecture of the Salk Institute is so simple but at the same time so perfect and such an amazing landmark for San Diego. And on top of that, experiencing Chihuly's art was the icing on the cake. I'm so happy we got to see this incredible art in this incredible setting!

To know more about the Salk Institute and about Dale Chihuly I encourage you to click on the links. The information about both is fascinating.

After seeing the exposition I remember a recipe that I  created a while ago. The colors of my beautiful peppers from the Farmer's Market where the same as Chihuly's amazing sunburst.

Roasted Sweet Pepper Sauce and Fresh Pasta

1 lb. sweet baby bell peppers

1 medium tomato

2 garlic cloves

1 Ts. olive oil

1/4 c. cream

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 lb. lasagna sheets, cut in strips (or your favorite pasta)

Parmesan cheese

On a cast iron griddle at medium heat, roast the peppers, tomatoes and garlic until blackened. Place vegetables in a blender with salt and pepper and purée to a smooth sauce. In a big pot bring salted water to a rapid boil, add pasta strips and cook for 1 to 3 minutes (fresh pasta cooks very fast but follow the direction for the pasta that you are using).

In the meantime, in a large pan, heat the oil, add the sauce from the blender and heat for 1 minute. Add cream and 1/2 cup of pasta water. Correct the seasoning and cook for a couple more minutes. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Toss to coat. Serve immediately and top with shavings of parmesan cheese.

Enjoy with bread and a glass of Pinot Noir or your favorite wine.

Pizza-Pasta

Every time I cook this dish I think of my nephew Andres. He, like many children, is not very fond of vegetables but he really likes pizza and, although I put lots of vegetables in this dish, he eats it without hesitation and he even ask for seconds.

Once upon a time, while camping in a motor-home with my family. I prepared this dish for the children, I thought they will like it because they could eat it with their hands like they would pizza. Adriana, Andres' mother, told me not to bother, "it has vegetable, they won't eat it," she said. I cooked it anyway and hoped for the best. That time I put chopped broccoli, spinach, mushrooms and onions along with lots of cheese. To everyone's surprise, the kids loved it and especially Andres who kept saying; "Tia this pizza is so good, I want more." 

Pizza-Pasta is a dish made out of leftovers. The main ingredient in this dish is leftover cooked pasta and the rest is up to your imagination.  I originally called this dish Torta de Pasta but Andres decided that it should be called Pizza-Pasta, so Pizza-Pasta it is.


Pizza-Pasta

1/2 pound angel hair pasta, cooked and at room temperature
5-6 sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped plus 1 Tbs. of the oil in which they were packed

2-3 small portabella mushrooms, clean and chopped
4 eggs

1/4 C. milk

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 C.  parmesan cheese, graded

1/2 C. fontina cheese, graded (any other melting cheese can be substituted for fontina)

1/2 white onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1-2 springs of thyme, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil

2 Tbs. parmesan cheese, graded

chopped thyme for garnishing (optional)

Toss together the pasta, sun-dried tomatoes with their oil and mushrooms. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk, salt and pepper. Stir in the next 6 ingredients. Add the pasta mixture and toss to coat.


Heat the broiler. In a large skillet (use one that can be transferred to the oven), heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Pour the pasta mixture in the skillet, pressing to form an even layer. Cook for about 3 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown. Sprinkle the top with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese. Transfer the skillet to the broiler and cook until the top is golden brown. Watch carefully, it only takes a few minutes. Cool to room temperature. Remove from the skillet, cut into wedges and serve at room temperature. 

This dish can be prepared with different vegetables and most kinds of pasta. I had prepare it with orzo and used basil instead of thyme, you can even add meat or chicken if you like. It is easy to prepare and very portable. Pack a small salad and a slice of Pizza-Pasta for a great lunch.