Ok, I know I promised that I would have written about the aioli and tapenade on Sunday night, but with all that was going on and the holiday yesterday, I got a bit tied up..... Sorry guys!!!
So I made the ailoi and tapenade and what can I say? They were absolutely amazing!!! The tapenade called for black olives, capers, anchovies, lemon zest and olive oil. Let me start off by saying that when it comes to anchovies, I stay far away as possible from them. I don't know why, but I guess the saltiness of them and their smell kind of irks me. This coming from a guy who loves to eat fish.... the combination of all 4 igredients complimented each other very well. No one ingredient over powered the other; ok, maybe the lemon zest a bit (note to self, use a smaller lemon) but over all it was very good. I should have thought ahead and thrown some bread under the broiler for a bit but with all that was going on around me, who had time?
I think, if anything, my only mistake was that after I chopped everything up, I put it all in the food processor, which made it all a bit more of a thick pureed dip. Next time, I'll forgo the processor and just mix them up by hand. You learn from your mistakes!
As for the aioli????? I think I found something new to love!!!!! I'm a garlic lover to begin with.... shit, we have 2 garlic type dips in Greek cusine (tzatziki and skordalia). Both of which can be used as either a dip or as a side. Especially skordalia, when you have it with fried cod fish or with beets... but the aioli was just something different. Aioli, which is in the mayonaise family but I must stress, IS NOT MAYO, had a very vevelty smooth consistency. Simple ingredient like 2 egg yolks, dijon mustard, white wine vinegar and garlic formed it's base. Those 4 ingredients in themselves were great, but when I added watercress and 3 different herbs, something happened..... for lack of a better description, it was an explosion in my mouth. You could definitely pick out the ingredients, maybe even some of the herbs but what was even better about the aioli, was having served chilled. Traditional aioli is served at room temperature, but we're not in Provence.
Here's a little bit of advice..... when making burgers, and I mean FRESH, HANDMADE burgers, out of YOUR kitchen, avoid using the traditional condiments. Instead, use the aioli and see what happens. After I made the aioli, I made burgers.... not just any burgers but blue cheese and cajun spice burgers and cooked them up on the charcoal grill (I really hate gas grills... charcoal gives your food a better taste IMHO). Instead of using the regular stuff (ketchup, mustard, mayo) I used the aioli, and added instead of lettuce, watercress and tomato and an onion. (I guess I could thank Emeril for that one.)
I could go on and on and try to use words to describe the texture and flavors, but the bottom line is that words would not do any justice. I've always had a problem when people would try to explain what something tastes like... yeah ok, that's your opinion. If you really want to know what and how something tastes, you need to taste it for yourself. If anyone is interested in the recipes I have for both the aioli and the tapenade, let me know. I would more than happy to share them with you.
I guess that's all for now..... I have too much on my mind today so no cooking from me tonight, even if it is just appetizers. Tomorrow is a different story.... the menu for tomorrow is eggplant dip (no, not baba ganoush or melitzanosalata for those of you who know what I'm talking about).
Have a good night guys..... whoever and wherever you may be.......
So I made the ailoi and tapenade and what can I say? They were absolutely amazing!!! The tapenade called for black olives, capers, anchovies, lemon zest and olive oil. Let me start off by saying that when it comes to anchovies, I stay far away as possible from them. I don't know why, but I guess the saltiness of them and their smell kind of irks me. This coming from a guy who loves to eat fish.... the combination of all 4 igredients complimented each other very well. No one ingredient over powered the other; ok, maybe the lemon zest a bit (note to self, use a smaller lemon) but over all it was very good. I should have thought ahead and thrown some bread under the broiler for a bit but with all that was going on around me, who had time?
I think, if anything, my only mistake was that after I chopped everything up, I put it all in the food processor, which made it all a bit more of a thick pureed dip. Next time, I'll forgo the processor and just mix them up by hand. You learn from your mistakes!
As for the aioli????? I think I found something new to love!!!!! I'm a garlic lover to begin with.... shit, we have 2 garlic type dips in Greek cusine (tzatziki and skordalia). Both of which can be used as either a dip or as a side. Especially skordalia, when you have it with fried cod fish or with beets... but the aioli was just something different. Aioli, which is in the mayonaise family but I must stress, IS NOT MAYO, had a very vevelty smooth consistency. Simple ingredient like 2 egg yolks, dijon mustard, white wine vinegar and garlic formed it's base. Those 4 ingredients in themselves were great, but when I added watercress and 3 different herbs, something happened..... for lack of a better description, it was an explosion in my mouth. You could definitely pick out the ingredients, maybe even some of the herbs but what was even better about the aioli, was having served chilled. Traditional aioli is served at room temperature, but we're not in Provence.
Here's a little bit of advice..... when making burgers, and I mean FRESH, HANDMADE burgers, out of YOUR kitchen, avoid using the traditional condiments. Instead, use the aioli and see what happens. After I made the aioli, I made burgers.... not just any burgers but blue cheese and cajun spice burgers and cooked them up on the charcoal grill (I really hate gas grills... charcoal gives your food a better taste IMHO). Instead of using the regular stuff (ketchup, mustard, mayo) I used the aioli, and added instead of lettuce, watercress and tomato and an onion. (I guess I could thank Emeril for that one.)
I could go on and on and try to use words to describe the texture and flavors, but the bottom line is that words would not do any justice. I've always had a problem when people would try to explain what something tastes like... yeah ok, that's your opinion. If you really want to know what and how something tastes, you need to taste it for yourself. If anyone is interested in the recipes I have for both the aioli and the tapenade, let me know. I would more than happy to share them with you.
I guess that's all for now..... I have too much on my mind today so no cooking from me tonight, even if it is just appetizers. Tomorrow is a different story.... the menu for tomorrow is eggplant dip (no, not baba ganoush or melitzanosalata for those of you who know what I'm talking about).
Have a good night guys..... whoever and wherever you may be.......
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