Dark star: Yotam Ottolenghi's recipes for barbecue beef short ribs with black garlic and pear and fennel salad | Food (2024)

Sure, its looks may not appeal to everyone, but with a taste that's reminiscent of molasses and tamarind, it adds a depth offlavour to dishes. For those who aren't quiteready to swap their tin of car sweets for a pot of peeled black garlic cloves, introduce yourself to this dark star by adding a few thin slivers to a crunchy root vegetable and sesame seed salad; or stir some through a prawn risotto. As with black sesame or nigella seeds, these thinly sliced matt-black shards not only add an unexpected flavour, but look stunning, too.

Use it in sauces, dips and purées to enliven old favourites. Black garlic mayo, for instance, works brilliantly with classic roast chicken or white fish. Or chop up a couple of cloves, mix with some cream cheese and soured cream, and spread on bruschetta for an exciting twist.

Black garlic is a relatively new ingredient in the UK. First sold here in 2009 (it was developed in Korea), it has been produced on these shores since 2012 and is now sold online, insome supermarkets and many healthfood stores. It comes as a whole bulb, a pot of ready-peeled cloves or a puree. There are all kinds of claims to its status as a super-food, and its antioxidant credentials are strong, but it's that genuinely new taste that hooked me.

Barbecue beef short ribs with black garlic and urfa chilli

These wonderfully smoky and aromatic short ribs need to be cooked a day in advance (and for four hours or more, too), then marinated for 24 hours and barbecued. You can take the meat off the bone, as here, for easy grilling and eating, butthere's nothing wrong with leaving the bones in, to give the dishthat wholesome, rustic feel. Ideally, I'dserve these with a crisp lettuce salad andsome roast potatoes. Serves four.

For the marinade
50g peeled black garlic
20g harissa paste, homemade or shop-bought
15g pomegranate molasses
1 tbsp urfa chilli flakes (or other mild dried chilli flake)
50g tinned tomatoes
25ml whisky
15ml red-wine vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
½ small onion, peeled and chopped

Heat the oven to 140C/260F/gas mark ½. Put the ribs in a casserole for which you have a lid, and add the peeled onion, three-quarters ofateaspoon of salt and stock – theribs need to be immersed in liquid, so add more stock or water, ifneed be.

Remove the cooked ribs from the stock (you can save the stock for usein soups or sauces), and pull offthemeat in large chunks, removing and discarding the bonesand any excess fat.

While the beef is cooking, put themarinade ingredients in the small bowl of a food processor, add a teaspoon of salt and blitz to a very smooth paste. Transfer to a large, non-reactive bowl, add the meat and mix so it's well coated. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6. Put a ridged griddle pan on a high heat and, when it starts to smoke, lay on the pieces of beef; you may have to do this in batches. (You can, of course, also cook the meat on abarbecue outdoors.) Grill for two minutes, turning regularly so the meat takes on colour and smoke on all sides, then transferto a baking tray and place inthe oven for about 12 minutes, until warmed right through. As always, leave the meatto rest for afew minutes before serving.

Pear and fennel salad with caraway and pecorino

Mix the lemon juice and vinegar in a large bowl. Add the fennel and leave to soften for about 45 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Put the oil, caraway, maple syrup, a quarter-teaspoon of salt and some black pepper into a small bowl, strain in the lemon and vinegar from the fennel bowl and stir well.

Add the dill, rocket, pear and pecorino to the fennel bowl, pour on the dressing, toss lightly and serve.

• Yotam Ottolenghi is chef/patron of Ottolenghi and Nopi in London.