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Allioli
Allioli: Catalonia's pure garlic and olive oil emulsion, pounded in a mortar with no egg
True Catalan allioli is just garlic, salt and oil, all ('garlic') i oli ('and oil'), worked slowly in a mortar until it becomes a stiff, pale emulsion with a fierce bite. Families serve it with grilled lamb, rice dishes, boiled potatoes and snails, and making it by hand is a small point of pride. It takes patience and steady arms, but no egg is needed. Chef's tip: if it splits, start a new paste with one crushed clove and a few drops of water, then work the broken sauce back in a spoonful at a time.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (2)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 4 cloves garlic and ½ tsp coarse salt in a mortar and crush them with the pestle, then grind in circles until you have a completely smooth, sticky paste with no lumps. This takes 3–4 minutes.
4 minStep 2: Add a few drops of 1 tsp lemon juice or water and work them in.
Step 3: Begin adding ¾ cup mild olive oil literally drop by drop, turning the pestle always in the same direction and at a steady pace. A common mistake is pouring too fast at the start: the sauce never takes and you are left with oily garlic.
5 minStep 4: Once the paste turns pale and thick and starts to cling to the pestle, after about a quarter of the oil, you can add the rest in a very thin trickle, still working constantly.
10 minStep 5: Stop when the allioli is so stiff that the pestle stands up in it, or when the oil is used up. Serve at once or keep covered in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 1 g
- Fat
- 33 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does allioli take?
- About 20 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of mild olive oil?
- Vegetable, sunflower or rapeseed oil, same amount (for cooking; keep olive oil for dressings if you have a little).
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