Garlic Aioli with Garden Vegetables
To blanch the vegetables for this recipe, bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook each type of vegetable separately until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes for the asparagus, green beans and carrots, and 10 minutes for the potatoes. Transfer to a colander and rinse under cold running water until cool. Drain on paper towels.
Ingredients:
- 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 raw eggs
- 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 cups olive oil
- 3/4 lb. slender asparagus spears, tough ends removed, spears blanched
- 1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed and blanched
- 8 to 10 small carrots, blanched
- 8 to 10 small waxy potatoes, halved and blanched
- 1 bunch radishes
- 6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and quartered
- 1 baguette, cut into slices 1/4 inch thick
Directions:
In a blender, blend the garlic and salt. Add the raw eggs, lemon juice and mustard and blend again. With the motor running, slowly pour in the olive oil and blend until the mixture thickens to the consistency of mayonnaise. Cover and refrigerate the aioli until ready to serve.
Serve the aioli on a platter with the asparagus, green beans, carrots, potatoes, radishes, hard-cooked eggs and baguette slices for dipping. Serves 4.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Cooking from the Farmers’ Market, by Tasha DeSerio & Jodi Liano (Weldon Owen, 2010).