Curry Aioli

Aioli is a sauce of garlic and olive oil that developed in an area of eastern Spain, southern France and northwestern Italy, with raw egg added in some versions, which then later was often simply replaced with mayonnaise. People from the Indian Subcontinent began emigrating to many parts of the Caribbean long ago, especially in the 1800s and early 1900s, and of course, they brought along their foods and recipes, which then influenced the cuisines of these islands. Such is "curry aioli," with more traditional aioli given added spices. This curry aioli is great with french fries or sweet potato fries, with a vegetable tray, with roasted veggies, or in place of mayonnaise on sandwiches.  

 

Ingredients:

 

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 large (or 2 medium) cloves of garlic, minced

1 pinch cayenne pepper (or Indian chili powder)

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

 

Mix together all of the ingredients. You can use the curry aioli right away, but if you have time, it is better if you cover it and refrigerate it for at least an hour, but longer is even better. Stir the curry aioli before using. 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Chain-This word goes back to the Indo European root "kat," which had the notion of "twist, weave, connect one thing to another by twisting or weaving." This gave Latin the noun "catena," which meant "chain." Old French, a Latin-based language, had the word as "chaeine," which then became "cheyne/chaine," and English borrowed it from French in the late 1200s or early 1300s. The idea of links in a chain also provided the meaning "things in a series," although "series" itself often occupies that ground in modern times, but still that idea provided the meaning "series of stores selling the same basic merchandise with the same overall owner." The verb form was derived from the noun seemingly just prior to 1400, initially with the meaning "to block off an area with a chain," but later also, "to bind someone or something with chains to limit or prevent easy movement." German, a close relative of English, borrowed the word from Latin "catena" as "Kette" (chain, necklace, track on a bulldozer or military tank).

Aioli, Is It Garlic Mayonnaise?

"Aioli," and there are variations in the term by language or dialect ("allioli" in some areas of Spain, for instance),* is a general term for a sauce common in the western Mediterranean area of eastern Spain, southern France and northwestern Italy. There are "generally" two types of aioli; one of olive oil combined with garlic, which "seems" to be the traditional sauce, and the other, a combination of olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and egg (either whole eggs or just yolks), now often simply with prepared mayonnaise substituted for the raw egg. The traditional aioli method involved crushing cloves of garlic with a mortar and pestle, then gradually adding olive oil while stirring the mixture until it formed a sauce, with some adding a little lemon juice, others omitting it. Nowadays a blender or food processor is used to make the sauce. The "egg type" seems to have developed, or at least to have become popular, in southern France. The blended egg and ingredients made a garlic mayonnaise, and this type has become the best known, with even two of my Spanish cookbooks giving recipes for this type, with only scant mention of the traditional aioli, which is still used in parts of Spain. Of course, for the egg style aioli, the use of store bought mayonnaise is both convenient and safer than using raw egg. Aioli is commonly served with fish or other seafood, steamed vegetables, as well as with other foods.     

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise (reduced fat style is fine)
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil 
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch pepper

In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients until smooth. Chill the aioli.  
 
* One of my Spanish cookbooks spells it, "ali oli" (two words), and it also notes that in some parts of Spain it is called "ajiaceite" and "ajoaceite." 

WORD HISTORY:
Ball (#2)-This is the noun (related to "ballet") meaning, "dance (usually a formal dance)," and it is a totally different word from "ball," with the meaning, "rounded object." It goes back to Indo European "gwele/gwela," with the notion of, "bubble up, rise up, overflow, throw outward or upward," and it is distantly related to Old English "cwylla," which meant "a spring;" that is, "a source of water" ("water that rises out of the ground," and German still uses "Quelle," with this meaning, as well as, more commonly, the general meaning "source"). The Indo European form gave transliterated Greek "ballizein," with the meaning, "to jump about in dance" (literally, "to throw oneself about"). Latin borrowed the term from Greek as "ballare," also meaning, "to dance." This passed to Latin-based Old French as, "baller," with the same meaning, and which produced the noun, "bal," meaning, "a dance." English borrowed the word from French, circa 1650.

Spicy Spanish Potatoes: Patatas Bravas

This dish is common for "tapas" in Spain, especially in Madrid and Barcelona, and there are variations in recipes. "Tapas" are "snacks," which in Spain are something of a whole segment of the Spanish food and beverage business, as tapas bars specialize in the serving of a variety of snacks, or "appetizers," if you prefer another word for this type of food. "Patatas Bravas" are crispy fried potato pieces served with a spicy tomato sauce (salsa brava); and in Barcelona, they are served with aioli (garlic mayonnaise). In Spain, the potatoes are most often fried in extra virgin olive oil. 

Ingredients:

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 cups olive oil + 2 tablespoons
2 teaspoons salt (divided use)  
1 teaspoon mild smoked Spanish paprika
1 teaspoon hot smoked Spanish paprika
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small fresh red chili, or 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes or 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1  14.5 ounce can tomatoes, drained
aioli* 

Simmer cubed potatoes in salted water until just beginning to soften. The potatoes should not be cooked through; thus, they will still be relatively firm. Drain and put the potatoes on some paper towels to help dry them. Fry potatoes in 1 1/2 cups of olive oil over medium heat until browned and crispy (the inside should still be sort of creamy), which will finish cooking them through. Remove potatoes to paper towels and season with one teaspoon of salt. In the meantime, in a saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for about a minute. Add the garlic, the chili (or chili flakes or cayenne pepper), saute for another minute. Add the sweet and hot paprika, one teaspoon of salt and the tomatoes. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, stirring. Add all to a blender or food processor; combine until it's a relatively smooth sauce. Serve the potatoes with some of the tomato sauce poured over it, and then with some dabs or streaks of aioli on top.  

* Aioli is essentially a garlicky mayonnaise, although in some parts of Spain it is more olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and salt. Here's the link to the article for "aioli:" http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/10/aioli-is-it-garlic-mayonnaise.html
  

WORD HISTORY: 
Brave-For what is a pretty common word today, the history of "brave" is more than a little shaky, and, to be totally honest about it, I must say the word's overall history is "uncertain," if not "unknown." One theory, which I like, has it going back to Ancient Greek "barbaros," which meant "not of Greek background;" that is, "foreign," and further, "uncivilized, wild." There is a theory that this may go back to an Indo European form "bar bar" or, "barbar," with the notion of being "unintelligible, incapable of being understood." Anyway, the Greek form, also the basis of "barbarian" and "barbarous," two other words borrowed by English, was borrowed by Latin as "barbarus," also meaning, "foreign, uncivilized, wild;" thus also, "fierce." This then produced Latin "brabus," then the altered, "bravus," meaning, "wild, fierce," and where "barbarus" was not only contracted, but where the "ar" reversed to "ra," a process called metathesis, a linguistic change that is not totally uncommon.^ This then gave Italian "bravo," where the "wild, fierce" meaning was coming to indicate "bold;" thus, "courageous (brave)." This was borrowed by French as "brave" (pronounced "brahv") and this then was borrowed by English in the late 1400s. 

^ For example, "bird" was once "brid/bridd," in English.

Spanish White Gazpacho, Ajoblanco

"Ajoblanco," literally, "white garlic," is a chilled soup from Andalusia in Spain. Andalusia is a large region in southern Spain, with its internationally best known cities "likely being" Cádiz, Córdoba and Seville. 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup blanched almonds
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup seedless cucumber, peeled and chopped
3 to 5 slices dried Italian bread (not the squishy kind), crusts removed, torn into pieces*
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar + 1 teaspoon sherry
15 seedless green grapes
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups cold water
aioli (1/2 cup mayonnaise, 3 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, pinch of black pepper)**
sour cream, blanched almond slivers and seedless grapes (halved), for garnishing

First, make the aioli by blending the mayonnaise, the garlic the olive oil, the lemon juice and the salt and pepper; blend until smooth. Put all ingredients into a processor and process to desired consistency. Most recipes I've ever seen recommend processing until smooth, but I keep a little chunkiness to mine, but whatever you like. Chill well, serve each with a dollop of sour cream (low fat type is fine), some almond slivers and seedless green grape halves. 

* Using 3 slices will keep the soup thin, use 4 or 5 for thicker soup.

** Aioli is a type of sauce common is Spain, and also parts of southern France and northeastern Italy. Recipes vary, but in the U.S. aioli is generally a garlic flavored mayonnaise, which it is in some parts of Spain too, while in other parts it is more olive oil and garlic, with salt and perhaps some lemon juice. 

WORD HISTORY: 
Blank-This word, distantly related to "blue" and to "blitz" (a borrowing from German) and to "blanch" (a borrowing from French), goes back to Indo European "bhel(g)," which had the notion of, "to shine, to be bright." This gave Old Germanic "blankaz," which meant, "bright, white, gleam." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "blanc" (likely pronounced "blahnk), which meant, "white, gray (British spelling=grey), pale." It also gave Frankish, a Germanic dialect/language, "blank," with the same meanings. This was absorbed into Old French as "blanc/blanche," which was carried to England by the Normans as "blaunc," and this reinforced the closely related English word, or replaced it as "blank." The idea of  "white, pale" developed into "colorless," which then further developed to "empty;" thus with both meanings giving English a number of specific modern meanings noun/adjective/verb, such as, "blank space" (white, colorless space), blank bullet/shell (casing with gunpowder, but no projectile to be fired), blank (without markings or designs), to blank (in sports, to stop the opposing team from scoring goals, runs or points).