Post number six, 'Aioli' and a great barbecue lunch

'Eating aioli should be an emotional experience, it is strong but that is it's role in life', Fergus Henderson Nose To Tail Eating.


There are many different takes on how aioli should be, what strength, made with egg yolks or not, for me, like Fergus it must be strong and an egg yolk really helps to hold the sauce together. Purists would disagree about the use of an egg yolk. That said aioli is not a garlic mayonnaise, it is aioli and that is why it must be strong, to distinguish itself.


Aioli is a wonderful compliment to virtually everything, fish, fowl, meat, vegetables, the list is endless. A condiment that adds quality and substance and indeed verve to meals, it has amazingly uplifting qualities, it has punch and fight. It's not for the feint hearted. 


I like to use a good quality extra virgin olive oil in the preparation, I enjoy the bitterness it offers the final taste. After many years of making it, below is what I feel, through trial and error, a winning recipe.




A good tub of strong aioli, enough for a barbecue party with friends.


A bottle of extra virgin olive oil, you will make up your own mind when to stop pouring. 


10-12 cloves of garlic peeled


Maldon Salt


Egg yolk at room temperature


Touch of Dijon Mustard(also room temperature)


Good squeeze of a lemon


Pepper, white better for appearance.




Start by laying your garlic gloves on a board, or in a pestle and mortar, sprinkle with Maldon salt and crush. Have a good go at this, work the pungent little magnolia crescent moons into submission! I like to then pass this pounded garlic through an appropriate sieve with a wooden spoon, this will take a fair bit of effort but is emphatically worth it, the result will be an excellent puree. Place this puree in a mixing bowl and add the egg yolk, touch of mustard and mix with a whisk. Now for the slightly tricky bit. Add at first a small stream of oil and thoroughly whisk making sure it is emulsified, and then repeat with another smallish stream. Once you are sure these first pours of oil are well emulsified you can up the ante. Steadily pouring the oil in and whisking. In the case of seperation of the mixture you can add another egg yolk, this should help emulsify again. When you are happy with the consistency and quantity of your aioli it is done. Add some lemon juice(very important adds great balance to the strong garlic) and pepper and check taste. It should have enough salt from the innitial stage. I like it quite thick but still with some fluidity. You can always add some water to loosen a bit if required.


So now my favorite summer barbecue lunch that requires aioli, sunshine and chilled beaujolais for a perfect afternoon;




Quail, pork, chorizo, quinoa and aioli


Quail, enough for a half a bird each at least(marinaded in oil, lemon, garlic, salt and pepper)I like to run a knife down their back bone and remove the breast with leg, less fiddly to eat. 


Chorizo's, the cooking type from Brindisa, enough for a couple of sections each.


Pork Loin (rolled and boned) sliced into little steaks, marinaded with the quail.


Quinoa, about half a box, washed thoroughly, then a good covering of salted water added, bought to boil and simmered for about 15 mins. The water should cook out, allow to cool.(Make sure it's dried out, you don't want soggy quinoa).

Parsley, anchovy, capers, mint all chopped together.


A polite but small gesture of very thinly sliced shallot.


Then all you need is a hot barbecue. None of the elements need a lot of cooking, the chorizo the longest so start there. Be careful not to overcook the pork particularly. The quail have decent fat content so do not dry our easily, three or four minutes a side will do it with a nice rest off the direct heat.


Mix the chopped herbs, anchovy, capers and shallot through the cooked, dried out quinoa, season with some pepper, it's probably salty enough but adjust if necessary. Maybe dress with some oil and a tad of lemon juice.


Give everyone half a quail, some hearty sections of the cooked chorizo and a slice of the pork loin, accompanied by the herby quinoa. A rocket salad would not go amiss. Put the tub of aioli on the table and let your guests delve in.




Almost an ode to Summer.