Skordalia
Instructions:
- A wonderful dip, sauce, and (eggless) mayonnaise substitute
from Greece (in Turkey it’s called tarator) that can be
used on cooked meats (combine it with leftover chicken
to make a fine chicken salad) and vegetables. Try any
nut you like here: hazelnuts, pine nuts, and blanched
almonds are all good.
- 1 thick slice day-old bread
- About 11/2 cups stock, milk, or water
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more if needed
- 1 cup walnuts
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne or 1 teaspoon not-too-hot ground dried chile , or to taste
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, or to taste
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Put the bread in a bowl and saturate it with some of the liquid. Squeeze bread to drain off excess, then put it in a food processor with the oil, nuts, garlic, and cayenne. Process the mixture until the walnuts are ground, then, with the machine running, pour in enough of the remaining liquid and more olive oil to form a creamy sauce.
- Add the lemon juice and some salt and pepper and serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
- Taramasalata.
- The classic fish roe purée from Greece: In Step 2, add a 7- or 8-ounce jar of tarama (salted mullet, cod, or salmon roe); mash lightly; you will probably need more lemon juice to cut the richness.
- Artichoke Dip.
- With fresh artichoke hearts, just brilliant, but pretty good with frozen (thawed, of course) as well: If you like, reduce the garlic and omit the cayenne from Step 1. In Step 2, leave the mixture in the food processor and add 1 cup cooked artichoke hearts; pulse the machine until they are well integrated and chopped but not puréed. Proceed with the recipe.
- Olive Dip.
- If you have Tapenade , just stir that into the Skordalia, to taste. Or use 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or sage leaves in place of the cayenne. In Step 2, leave the mixture in the food processor and add 1 cup pitted black olives, preferably a mixture of oil cured and kalamata ; pulse the machine until they are well integrated and chopped.