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.

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.)

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.

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)

• Learn the fundamental skills that separates the kitchen pros from the amateurs in my video: Knife Skills Mastery

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