Recipe: Korean black garlic linguini

Korean black garlic does appear to be one of the big trends coming into 2010. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, AZCentral.com and the Philadelphia Inquirer have written articles this week buzzing over Korean black garlic. (The PI article also has several recipes to go along with it ? score!)

Black foods are quite exotic to me, because they're so rare in nature. I was equal parts scared and excited about buying some Korean black garlic online to play with it in my kitchen.

However, it's not cheap, averaging $28 a pound.

What does black garlic taste like? Well, it has a flavor similar to balsamic vinegar, with the combination of sweet and tangy. That might explain why it blends so well with the olive oil. Like mushrooms, they have a lot of umami.

Here?s a simple pasta sauce recipe ? maybe too simple ? so the umami-heavy, wonderfully colored Korean black garlic is not obscured. This is not a spicy recipe. Feel free to add more black garlic if you like.
16 ounces linguini noodles
1/4 to 1?2 cup extra virgin olive oil (use the best you can afford)
3 cloves Korean black garlic, minced
toasted sesame seeds for garnish
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Cook pasta according to package instructions.Saute garlic in a dab of olive oil just until you start to smell the hint of garlic in the kitchen. (Do not fully brown the garlic, or it may taste bitter.)Drain and rinse pasta. Toss with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.Garnish with toasted sesame seedsServe warm.