Garlic Paste

I am a huge fan of Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food. I am lucky that there are many wonderful Mediterranean restaurants within 6 miles of my home. One of our favorite things about eating there is the fresh pita bread and garlic paste that they bring to every table as a starter. If you are a garlic lover, you will probably LOVE this recipe. If you're not a fan of garlic than you should stay far away from this recipe!

After the first time I had garlic paste I ran home and "Googled" G.A.R.L.I.C. P.A.S.T.E to see how to make it. I found this great video that shows step-by-step the proper technique for making it. It was a huge help in my quest to make the perfect garlic paste. After watching the video I knew exactly what I needed to do and it was a piece of cake. Mission complete!

I highly recommend you watch the video before attempting to make garlic paste. Here's the link: How To Make Garlic Paste





Garlic Paste
Source: Chef Kamal

1/2 t. Salt
1/2 c. Garlic, whole peeled cloves
1/4 c. Fresh lemon juice
2 c. Vegetable or Canola oil

Add salt and garlic to your food processer. Chop until garlic is finely minced, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl halfway through. In an extremely SLOW, continuous stream, add about 1/2 c. oil. (Let the food processor run the entire time you are making this. It's a long, but easy process.) Next add in 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice. Continue to SLOWLY add in the oil and lemon juice alternating after each 1/2 cup of oil you put in. If you add in the oil too quickly, the garlic paste will separate and you will "break" your emulsification. After all the oil and lemon juice has been added, turn off the food processor and scrape the sides of the bowl. Turn food processor back on for a couple seconds and then it is all done.

To store, place in a container and cover it with a paper towel until it is chilled. Once chilled, you can replace the paper towel with an air-tight lid. This prevents any liquid from forming while it is cooling - the water would cause the garlic paste to separate.