Aioli - Mediterranean Garlic Sauce

fx

Wed, 1 Jun 2016 11:14:58 GMT

Tienes razon, no se necesita huovas!

Pilar

Sat, 28 May 2016 19:16:32 GMT

El ajoaceite, por lo menos aqu� en Espa�a es s�lo aceite, ajo y un poco de sal. esa es la receta tradicional. y mucho mortero ;-)

fx

Sat, 5 Mar 2016 20:25:11 GMT

Well I think you may be right - a difficult thing to make right, aioli.

Argo Nut

Fri, 6 Apr 2012 20:07:41 GMT

Your alioli looks runny, more like a sauce compared to "traditional" Catalan standards. It should be almost like whipped cream i.e. so thick it stays put when inverted - the real test of alioli-making prowess! The pestle and mortar method I was taught - 1) Put a very large pinch of salt in the mortar followed by the clove/s of garlic (2 or 3 is usual but depending on personal piquancy, could be just one or can be more) and smash with the pestle until a puree (the salt is essential at this stage as grit or friction to avoid the cloves from flying out). 2) Add the yolk of a FRESH egg that has reached room temperature (it must not be cold directly from the fridge) and beat together with the pestle. 3)Add a little oil, say a table spoon, and beat until it begins to bind or thicken (do not add more oil until this is achieved). 4) Repeat stage 3 several times until about 200ml of oil has been added or to the point where the alioli begins to stop adhering to the mortar... i ja est�!
A much quicker and less laborious method, the one I now always use - Take a beaker or deep narrow jug in which a hand blender just fits 1) Add 50ml olive oil, 200ml sunflower oil, 1 fresh egg (yolk and white), 1-3 cloves garlic (more if you"re butch), large pinch of salt, a small squirt of lemon juice (helps the "chemistry" and to preserve) 2)Place hand blender to the bottom of the vessel, "capturing" the cloves and yolk, and switch on. 3)when the blender sounds to have found "resistance" due to the thickening or emulsifying, slowly withdraw incorporating the oil above. Takes about 30 seconds. Remember, the egg and oil should be at room temperature. This will keep in a fridge up to 3 days. To make it especially thick add sunflower seed or a couple of walnuts prior to blending

Sue

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 00:56:57 GMT

Loved the aioli lesson. I have not made my own yet, but am planning my stategy. One question I have that I have not seen the answer to is this.... After making the aioli, particulary with egg, can it be stored in the refrigerator for any length of time???I mean,the raw egg and all??? What would be safe storage for this sauce? I want to make a truffled aioli to serve with portobello "fries".
Thanks, Sue

fx

Sun, 19 Dec 2010 19:48:51 GMT

Gracias por tu comentario, es un crimen quizas!

morgan

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 17:52:40 GMT

Poner-le limon es un crimen! la salsa esta emulsionada per� realmente tiene que espesar,te puede ajudar un batidor electrico,porcierto en catalunya hay una salsa igual o mas buena llamada Romesco! es deliciosa..

M� del Mar

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 19:12:42 GMT

When doing allioli there is a truth, if you are whisking by hand with mortar&pestle you have to use just egg yolk, meanwhile if you are using an electric hand blender you have to use the entire egg (yolk + egg white). It is like magic, but it is so.

Ruby

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:54:21 GMT

Thanks so much for this post. I"ve learned a huge amount from what you"ve written, as well as from the various comments. I lived in Provence for a year and ate many aiolis but tonight am attempting to make it for the first time. I"m going to try the "pure" method (just oil and garlic) but am not so stubborn that I won"t add an emulsifier if need be. Serving it up with steamed beans, carrots, boiled potatoes, eggs and prawns - can"t wait!

fx

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 17:50:41 GMT

Thank you Mary.

Mary Knotts

Tue, 8 Jun 2010 22:48:39 GMT

Great article and enjoyed the pictures. Also helpful to know how to save failed aioli. Thank you.

Om� Wale

Thu, 8 Apr 2010 22:06:42 GMT

Hi, Fx....

Someone up there asked about blender (Osterizer)....

Being just a student of this high skill tasks all I can say is that the blender works just fine. My experience is I make Mayo or Salad Dressing right in the blender just fine.... garlic being just a spice. I must confess I"ve never made A�oli, per se.

I love your Site and the great comment contributors. Such fun.

Om� Wale

fx

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:44:26 GMT

Thanks Cuchillero, I accept your critical comment with gratitude as traditional aioli does require much experience and I need to do it again and again!

cuchillero

Tue, 6 Oct 2009 22:16:20 GMT

I"m sorry, don"t take offense on my comment, but "all i oli" is a hallmark sauce, passed over generations , and it"s really difficult to find it out in its genuine form even in the original countryside. Ones you are aware of the real thing, nothing compares and that"s why i"ve been too harsh. I"m sure you"ll understand. Compliments.

fx

Tue, 6 Oct 2009 20:40:56 GMT

Thanks for your chemical insight, indeed a very small quantity of yolk can yield gallons of mayonnaise.

fx

Tue, 6 Oct 2009 20:37:26 GMT

Thanks, I"ll make some more to improve my skills then!

cuchillero

Mon, 5 Oct 2009 19:49:35 GMT

Very nice blog, hope you don"t mind my comments. Your "all i oli" is not quite right as the emulsion failed to get the appropiate texture. It takes time to learn how to achieve the perfect glosy effect but it is a good start.
regards

Pastor Bentonit

Mon, 5 Oct 2009 10:09:47 GMT

Adding to the endless "hand-whisk mayonnaise" debate, I find that vigorous use of a balloon whisk will do the trick (a regular one...not as handily!), if one does not add too much oil in the beginning. But wait, there"s more! It should even be possible to make an "�uf dur mayonnaise" using only one egg! Just boil it for 6-7 minutes (I like them not quite as hard-boiled as my detective stories, thank you very much), halve it, and scoop out some of the egg yolk; mix it with a small dollop of French mustard and a couple of drops of lemon juice and go from there; it should absorb emough oil to cover the egg, if you wish that.

The lecithin � the membrane phospholipid in the egg yolk responsible for the emulsification of oil, much like a soapy detergent would dissolve fatty grease from your dirty dishes � will not be destroyed from boiling and should work perfectly well even if the yolk"s proteins are mostly denatured (turned solid).

Just my 2 cent"s worth.

Kay

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 18:14:14 GMT

I discovered the method of making Alioli is very much like making Bearnase, I use the whisk method. Is it okay to use roasted garlic instead of raw garlic or would that alter the taste too much? Will never forget my first taste of alioli which was served with a very small roasted chicken on top of a bed of creamed potatoes in a small iron pot!!! The alioli was served on the side. Ah, Paris food ! Love your site !

Memphis

fran bevier

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 03:07:38 GMT

here"s a great big garlic kiss for the wonderful aioli pictures;can"t wait to try both the "old" way aswell as "new" fullproof way. Thanks for fine details/disctinctions, fran.

vite

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 23:55:55 GMT

Como te dice�n, no debes sorprenderte de que las mamas espa�olas hicieran allioli, solo con ajo y aceite y en mortero con
una mano de madera. Es cuestion de paciencia y girar la mano del mortero incesantemente siempre en el mismo sentido al tiempo que se va a�adiendo aceite poquito a poco y que no te mire nadie, si no dicen que se corta.

Un saludo y enhorabuena por la web, es fantastica.

fx

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 22:00:43 GMT

Make sure everybody eats it or they"ll curse you for so much garlic breath in the house!

ozu q vichyssoise

Mon, 18 May 2009 13:55:12 GMT

�Hola que hay? a�n que no lo creas si vas a�adiendo el aceite al ajo muy poco a poco consigues espesarlo mucho, para eso utilizas tantos ajos, en el de huevo con un diente de ajo te sobra. Ya que tienes el mortero pruebalo. A mi mujer le encanta, m�s que el alioli con huevo, pero a m� hijo no, le pica mucho.
Saludos

kome

Thu, 14 May 2009 18:19:40 GMT

I have just discovered garlic sauce going to a local restaurant in san diego and can"t get it out of my mind.. THANK YOU for this recipe because now, it"s going on everything I make!!!

fx

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 19:04:06 GMT

Thanks for your visit Mike, glad you liked it! I get many food writers, TV chefs and critics who visit my site but for some reason it never gets included on those "10 best food blog" lists. What do you think I should do about it?

Mike Stepanovich

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 19:53:36 GMT

I"m a first-time visitor to your website; it"s great! I visited it to learn more about aioli sauce because I"m a restaurant critic in Bakersfield, California, and wanted to learn more of the history of the sauce. I learned a lot from your recipe. I"ll be visiting again for other things, but wanted you to know how much I liked it. And thanks for your help with my research!

In vino veritas!

Mike Stepanovich

fx

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 11:43:21 GMT

Merci de ta visite Charles!

fx

Mon, 9 Mar 2009 16:08:43 GMT

Alex, this must have worked fine with those trouts!

Alex

Fri, 6 Mar 2009 14:06:08 GMT

Great recipe! I baked some fresh trout and served it with the sauce, it was delicious!

fx

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:34:36 GMT

Sally, you can make this in a bowl and a fork. But a mortar and pestle are really a good and lasting investment in any kitchen!

Sally Paulson

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 17:14:05 GMT

Loved the neat pictures. I don"t have a mortal and pestle -- how about a blender? Sally

charles

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:24:55 GMT

Comme on dit en Qu�b�cois"ayoilli!" ou en anglais "o wow!Superbe....(� essayer un ptit peu de moutard pour aider l"�mulsion - tr�s ptit..)

fx

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 03:08:21 GMT

Colette, I love it so much that I"d eat aioli on a lolipop if they let me !

Colette Bustani

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:33:10 GMT

Thank you for your recipes .In Lebanon this one exist since ages .Please try the aioli sauce with chicken from the grill or skewered meat, lamb etc... Bone Appetit .
Colette

fx

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 16:28:29 GMT

castilalt, thanks for visiting and of course I understand that for you only Alioli is real alioli - actually the same goes for people in Provence. In fact I have received a crate of cookbooks from Spain recently and started to test many traditional Spanish dishes, very inspiring. I hope to post some in the future!

castilalt

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:30:25 GMT

With all due respect, REAL alioli is done only with garlic and oil.

Ali it"s Valencian (and catalonian) language for Garlic and Oli is oil, hence... (drumroll....) Alioli

great blog, anyway, tons of good recipes, lacking the ocasional Spanish meal :)

PL

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:50:17 GMT

Hmm. Garlic(lots), oil (drizzled really slowly with blade running) and lemon juice, salt. Food processor for a long time. Comes out the consistency of butter and people rave about it. No other thickener

fx

Sun, 3 Aug 2008 14:27:39 GMT

Horace, I think you can do mayonnaise with other substances as the emulsifier, the egg yolk is just one way of doing it.

Horace

Fri, 1 Aug 2008 16:14:03 GMT

The only thing which prevented me from making my own mayonnaise before was fear of food poisoning(samonella is often present in raw egg yolks). If you are like me, then you can actually pasturize the egg yolks before making mayonnaise This is how you do it - from Howard Mcgee"s "The Curious Cook": 1) Separate and remove the white completely from the yolk. 2) Beat yolks 3) add 1 to 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of water to the yolks (because the sizes of eggs vary) 4) add a tablespoon of lemon vinegar and beat again 5) cover the bowl with a plate and nuke it until the yolk begins to "heave" (its therefore best to use a glass bowl for this) 6) beat the mixture again and let it stand for 1 minute 7) pop into the microwave again and remove when the yolks are agitated. You have now pasturized your own egg yolks.

fx

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:27:28 GMT

Alan, I"m glad your first batch of aioli was a success that will lead you to make many more! Next you can try warm water-based emulsions like b�arnaise, see my Cholesterol-Free Vegetarian Starter article.

fx

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:21:05 GMT

Jensenly, thanks for noticing my fingernails! Yes my dad was visiting a 16th century house in the Valais and saw this mortar and pestle abandonned in a corner, so he thought of me. He is really sweet, my dad!

fx

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:13:42 GMT

Ahmad, I love Lebanese cuisine but only tried a boiled-down industrial-mayonnaise-laced-with-garlic thing. I had much hoped to visit Lebanon one day and really hope the country will get the political stability its people deserve.

fx

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:12:16 GMT

Daniel, thanks again for your most precise observations on the nature of mayonnaise, most people tend to forget that the main role of eggs in pasta is that of bringing water.

fx

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:11:06 GMT

Foodista, thanks for visiting and have fun with your aioli!

Alan

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 06:47:56 GMT

I"d always been wary of making emulsion-based sauces but your recipe inspired me to take courage. It was great! When she tasted it my wife loved it so much she immediately asked me what we could eat with it. No green vegetables, alas, so I improvised and cooked some ham (made from pineapple-fed pigs) in a little red wine and olive oil, put it between two slices of toasted whole wheat bread, added sliced tomatoes and slathered it with your aoili, which will DEFINITELY make an appearance at my next party.

jensenly

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:25:14 GMT

Your Dad FOUND your mortar and pestle? Can he find one for me, too?

By the way, I appreciate your uber-clean fingernails in your photos. Makes a mother proud.

Ahmad

Wed, 9 Jul 2008 14:53:38 GMT

My only exposure to mediterranean cooking comes from Lebanese cuisine. Have you ever had Lebanese garlic sauce (it"s called toum or something)? It"s very thick (must thicker than aioli) and its slightly grainy with raw garlic. If you haven"t tried it you should! It"s amazing! Especially with barbequed marinated meats. Yum!

Daniel Eliasson

Wed, 9 Jul 2008 10:58:44 GMT

It struck me that there"s reasonably a difference in taste and texture depending on whether you use my technique or a more traditional.

In the case of the traditional technique, you"re essentially using the egg yolk not just as an emulsifying agent, but also as the water phase of the emulsion. You"d reasonably get a thicker mayonnaise with egg taste, and just use a bit of lemon juice to flavour with.

My technique means I"ve only got a tiny bit of egg in there, and use the lemon juice/vinegar as the water phase. I like the way it tastes, but I suppose it"s different. It"s been so long since I did it the "old" way that I can"t quite remember.

This calls for an empirical study. I"ll try to find time to perform it this weekend.

growitgreen

Wed, 9 Jul 2008 07:32:12 GMT

I am so excited to try this recipe. I have always read about aioli and wondered quietly what it actually was. I can"t wait to try it. Thank you for sharing.
check out other food related blogs at www.foodista.com

fx

Wed, 9 Jul 2008 04:31:40 GMT

John-Christopher, I don"t have my books near me, do you know if the ionized-air mayonnaise hypothesis has been tested scientifically? It does make sense and it"s common knowledge, but did somebody actually test it?