What is aioli?
If you haven't heard of it, you'll be pleased to know that aioli is a sauce made from garlic and olive oil, which can also be seasoned with egg to make a highly flavoured sort of mayonnaise. For the basic recipe, you crush the garlic in a mortar and pestle and add the olive oil, which gives it a lot of flavour and makes it suitable for topping or, at the very least, accompanying many rather simple dishes such as grilled fish, boiled potatoes, snails or simply pasta.
And aioli is as old as Provence itself
And then some! Some date its invention back to ancient Egypt, and we know that the Romans were already making this beautiful mixture, which is common to many regions and countries on the shores of the Mediterranean, from Cadiz to Naples. Aïoli, or its equivalent, is made in Spain, Italy and, of course, France, where the recipe is mentioned in writing as far back as the Middle Ages. Aïoli is a very 'social' dish, enjoyed by rich and poor alike. In culinary terms, it's a sign of belonging to the South, the very South, from the Languedoc to the Comté de Nice, with beautiful Provence at its epicentre. Once you've tasted it, on a summer's evening, with a simple dish and a good rosé wine (drink in moderation), you'll think back to this 2nd quotation from Frédéric Mistral, which I offer here: "Around a good ailloli, well put together and fragrant and red as a thread of gold, where are, answer me, the men who don't recognise themselves as brothers?
What you need to make a good aioli. Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: karandaev via depositphotos
Aïoli recipe
While the really basic recipe is garlic crushed until creamy and olive oil to taste, I thought it would be nicer to give you this slightly richer recipe with egg yolk. You could also add a little potato to thicken it. To each his own
Enjoy them with a good meal outside in summer! Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: Rawpixel via depositphotos
The ingredients
- 1 egg yolk
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled
- 40cl olive oil (make sure it's good quality!)
- Salt
- Pepper
- Half a lemon.
Garlic is the base! Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: Nikonasvia depositphotos
How do you make your aioli?
- Get yourself a mortar
- Squeeze your lemon (or vinegar) and prepare your oil.
- Separate the yolk from the white of your egg
- Remove the seeds from the garlic cloves and peel them. Crush them flat in one go (best done with the flat of a paring knife).
- Place the crushed pods in the mortar and pestle.
- Crush your garlic cloves with a pestle
- Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper
- Finish crushing the garlic: it should have the consistency of a purée.
- Place your garlic purée in a bowl or salad bowl
- Add the egg yolk and lemon juice
- Mix with a fork, drizzling in the olive oil (as if making mayonnaise).
Tip:
As with mayonnaise, the ingredients must be at the same temperature. Remember to take the egg out of the fridge an hour before you start.
