Skordalia

Photo © Rob Jones

I claim all things Greek to be my territory when it comes to food, though clearly if it means I am about to eat it, I don’t really mind who makes it.

During the latest Minhall and Jones Podcast I was introduced to a fine delicacy called Skordalia which AMM found on her plate while dining at Lyons Restaurant in Crouch End. It was under some lamb. Read about her delicious meal here.

So I thought …. wait … what’s this? (Looks up recipe.) It’s a sort of very garlicky lemony nutty mash. Skórdo (σκόρδο) meaning garlic in Greek, and the Alia bit comes from Italian aglio meaning … garlicky. So the name means Garlicky Garlic. What’s not to love.

Anyway, that sounded nice.

And ever since then it has been on my ‘to make’ list, and was further facilitated by finding some discounted pre-peeled potatoes (I mean why bother, is anyone actually too busy to peel potatoes?) which needed rescuing and doing something with.

So I did.

Researching various recipes, I couldn’t find a standard one - it seems possible to make it both with old bread and potatoes. But the rest of the ingredients are the same, though quantities differ widely. It seems to be a question of ‘taste as you go along’.

Basically:

Boil up some potatoes for mashing.

Separately make a mix of loads of garlic (and I mean loads), almonds and walnuts, plus some lemon juice or red wine vinegar, and a dab of olive oil. Make a paste. I added some bread at this stage too.

Combine with the potatoes … and mix until it is smooth, almost a puree. Then drizzle in as much Extra Virgin Olive Oil as you think it can take… with some more salt. Keep tasting. You don’t want to be eating pure olive oil.

Serve with a garnish of chopped spring onions, and a twist of lemon.

It’s a side dish - they say - to go along with fish or to be used as a dip.

But along with uncooked cake mix, I’d be quite happy to eat it on its own.

Find it on the menu as σκορδαλιά.

R.