Skordalia

Name: Skordalia
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 125g firm white bread, crusts discarded; 1 egg yolk; 1 1/2 tablespoons strained lemon Juice; 1 small clove garlic, crushed; 1/2 teaspoon salt flakes, crushed; 50g almond meal; 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil; 100ml cold water, more or less

Skordalia, Greece’s famous garlicky white dip, is sometimes made with bread as the thickening agent, sometimes with ground almond and sometimes potato. I love chef Janni Kyritsis’ version using both bread and almond as it gives a lovely rich flavour. Any leftover will keep in the fridge for 3–4 days and is delicious slathered over any roast meat or with raw or cooked vegetables. Skordalia tends to thicken over time, so if it’s been refrigerated you may need to stir in a little more cold water to bring it back to the right consistency. I’ve been quite reserved with the garlic in this recipe, so add more or less garlic, salt or lemon juice to suit your taste. Serve as part of a meze with a glass of anisey ouzo from 23rd Street Distillery.

Serves 3–4 as a side dish

Ingredients

125g firm white bread, crusts discarded
1 egg yolk
1½ tablespoons strained lemon juice
1 small clove garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon salt flakes, crushed
50g almond meal
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
100ml cold water, more or less

Method

Dice bread and soak in cold water then squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible. Set aside.
Blitz egg yolk, lemon juice, garlic and salt with a stick blender or in a small food processor.
With the motor running, blend in almond meal then oil, then bread.
Slowly add enough water to give the consistency of mayonnaise, you might not need it all.
Serve skordalia as a side dish or as part of a meze.