For our countdown to the Superbowl snack series, let’s add something that isn’t fried and is actually healthy for you.
Notes: If you are nervous about using raw eggs, coddle them by pouring boiling water over the eggs in their shell to lightly cook them for 1 minute. Then break the eggs and separate the yolks.
If you do not have a mortar and pestle, use a metal bowl set in a small sauce pan for stability. Use the back of a wooden spoon for the pestle.
Serving Ideas: Serve with crudité. In the winter it is traditional to serve with poached fish, boiled vegetables (potatoes, carrots, green beans, artichokes) or just go for the go for the raw veggies: radish, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, baby tomatoes, green pepper, red pepper, scallions, etc. Use your imagination.
Caramelized Garlic Aioli
Ingredients:
- 10 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 egg yolk, see Note above
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon cold water
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Method:
1. Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottom frying pan.
2. Add garlic cloves and tilt pan so cloves are completely covered with oil. (Works best on a gas stove.) Cook until cloves are a beautiful golden brown.
3. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon. Let cool. Reserve (now garlic-flavored) olive oil.
4. In a large (preferably stone) mortar, add caramelized garlic and Dijon mustard. Mash with the pestle until garlic becomes a paste.
5. Whisk in egg yolk.
6. Begin whisking in the reserved olive oil a few drops at a time. If you add oil too quickly the emulsion will separate. After about half the oil has been added, add the water and the lemon juice. Continue whisking until all the oil is incorporated.
7. Sauce Variations Rosemary – Add two teaspoons of minced fresh rosemary. Chipotle – Add one tablespoon of minced canned chipotles in adobo sauce. Saffron – Add a tiny pinch of Saffron threads and a tablespoon of honey. Sriracha – Add several squirts of sriracha to taste.
