Black garlic pork

56g protein the SIMPL way

August 31, 2024

Fermented foods are kinda like goats.

Smelly at first, but so much fun once you get comfortable around them.

Here's the thing about fermented foods - not only does it help your digestion to consume:

  • Kombucha

  • Saurkraut

  • Yogurt

  • Kimchi

But eating them transports you to a different dimension of flavor...

Where elements of:

  • Time

  • Temperature

  • Microbiology

...can be harnessed to take your cooking in delightfully weird, often unexpected directions.

Let's explore what fermented foods are all about.

Then, I want to share how I used garlic's "dark side" in a tasty, new high-protein entree.

Black garlic pork

Black garlic pork with pickled carrots and whipped sweet potatoes

How do foods become fermented?

Fermentation happens when microorganisms like bacteria, yeast, or molds break down sugars and carbohydrates.

It's a natural reaction that produces acids, gases, or alcohol during the process.

As a result of fermentation, food often becomes better preserved, with enhanced flavor and improved nutritional value. 

Why eat fermented foods?

Health benefits

Fermented foods contain probiotics, a type of living microorganism. Probiotics work to keep gut bacteria in balance, boosting the amount of helpful bacteria, and limiting the amount of harmful bacteria.

The fermentation process also helps the body by pre-digesting foods before they're eaten, such as gluten in sourdough bread. This makes food easier to digest and less likely to cause sensitivities.

Fermentation can lead to the formation of new vitamins while food is digested. These include b-vitamins, folic acid, antioxidants, and short-chain fatty acids, boosting the nutritional value of foods.

Food preservation

Fermentation has been used for thousands of years to preserve food and extend its shelf life, without adding preservatives.

The process produces lactic acid, alcohol, and acetic acid which helps to limit the growth of microorganisms that cause food to spoil.

The dark side of garlic

Alright, that's enough academics.

Now you're familiar with garlic, right? 

I want to introduce you to its shadowy, fermented version - black garlic.

Picture that scene from Star Wars...

The one where Anakin Skywalker loses the duel with Obi-Wan...

And gets victimized after falling down to a molten lava riverbank.

His body scorched and blackened by the heat, he's transformed into something dark and unrecognizable...

Darth Vader.

(A much more compelling character. Anakin was such a whiner.)

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Now.

Picture a head of garlic - the normal kind.

During a special months-long fermentation process of heat and humidity, whole heads of garlic are put through a Maillard reaction...

Turning the garlic cloves jet-black.

The raw, spicy flavor softens into something rich and complex...

Giving it a soft, chewy texture with a sweet, tangy flavor that's often compared to balsamic vinegar, tamarind, or molasses.

Now this isn't something you make at home. Instead, you buy black garlic at specialty grocery stores.

Or if you're a SIMPL Insider, I'll include a link to buy it from Amazon.

This week's SIMPL recipe uses the star ingredient blended into the marinade for pork tenderloin with pickled carrots and whipped sweet potatoes.

Coated in the marinade, the pork is wrapped tightly in aluminum foil to seal in the moisture as it roasts in the oven.

After it rests, it's sliced into medallions and served over sweet potatoes whipped with butter and milk.

Pickled baby carrots top off this delightful high-protein meal that's as flavorful as it is filling.

So...

If you're ready to unleash your dark side in the kitchen, this may be your sign.

Get your hands on some black garlic and make this recipe part of your meal prep next week.

Here’s the nutrition breakdown for 1 serving:

  • Calories 703

  • Protein 56g

  • Carbs 51g

  • Fat 31g

Black garlic pork with pickled carrots and whipped sweet potatoes

Get the full 5-portion recipe for this, and all my high-protein dishes when you become a SIMPL Insider.

When you upgrade, you'll also:

  • Get the full-length step-by-step videos showing how I created each weekly dish

  • Save 2+ hours each week by using my links to order ingredients online for delivery (no more grocery shopping)

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Watch the step-by-step video (YouTube unlisted)

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Black garlic pork with pickled carrots and whipped sweet potatoes

Cooking time: 2 hours

Click the blue links to buy products on Amazon Fresh

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs white sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-inch chunks

Directions

For the black garlic marinade:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a spoon, peel the skin off the ginger and grate it using a zester. Cut the top off the head of black garlic, then squeeze the cloves out of the skin.

Place them in a container along with the sake, 3 Tbsp rice vinegar, miso paste, ginger, and sesame oil. Using a stick blender or an upright blender, puree the mixture until smooth.

For the pork:

Using a knife, trim the silverskin off the pork tenderloins. Place 2 strips of aluminum foil on the counter, and set one pork tenderloin on each. Season with salt to taste, and pour the marinade over the pork, and spread it over the meat to cover it.

Flip the tail end of the tenderloins inward to maintain an even thickness along the whole length. Roll up both pieces of aluminum foil tightly and place them on a baking pan.

Roast the meat in the oven for 40-50 minutes until the internal temperature reads 140 degrees with a meat thermometer. Set the meat aside in the foil to rest.

For the pickled carrots:

In a saucepan, combine 3/4 cup agave syrup with 1 cup rice vinegar, 1 cup water, and the pickling spices. Bring it to a boil, and add the baby carrots.

Boil the carrots for 2-3 minutes on medium heat until al dente, then pour the carrots and the liquid out into another container to cool.

For the whipped sweet potatoes:

In a saucepan, melt the milk with the butter over low heat, and keep warm. Place the sweet potatoes in a small stockpot, cover them with cold water, and bring it to a boil.

When the water boils, turn the heat down to a simmer, and continue cooking until the sweet potatoes are completely soft, about 30 minutes. Drain them out in a colander in the sink, then transfer them to back to the stockpot off heat.

Add salt to taste, and mash them with a potato ricer to break up the chunks. Pour in the warm butter and milk, and puree the mixture using an immersion blender or a whisk, being careful not to over-mix.

To finish:

Remove the cooked pork from the foil, and place on a cutting board. Slice both tenderloins into 1/4-inch medallions, and set aside in a container.

Divide the whipped sweet potatoes between 5 meal prep boxes, and top them with the sliced pork. Drain the pickling liquid from the carrots, and divide them among the portions.

Seal the containers, and refrigerate until you're ready to reheat in the microwave.

Black garlic pork with pickled carrots and whipped sweet potatoes