The saving grace? His homemade black bean garlic sauce. Made from fermented black soy beans and a handful of other pantry ingredients, it keeps nicely in the fridge for a few weeks, ready to pull ...

The following recipe for fermented garlic paste is from Part 3, “In the Crock: Fermenting Vegetables A to Z.” ...

You can buy fermented black beans in several forms: plain (usually sold in small bags), in jars (usually labelled "black bean sauce") or flavoured with garlic and chillies (not that common).

Aglio e olio is a classic pasta dish that is beloved for its simplicity. You can easily upgrade this dish by adding one fermented ingredient.