Toum - Lebanese Garlic Sauce

Ever since we started visiting Windsor regularly, Toum has become part of our diet. This is the garlic sauce served in Lebanese restaurants with shawarma, and with lots of other things too. It's basically the technique for making mayonnaise, only without any egg and with garlic instead. Lots and lots of garlic. Lots. Since we are in garlic harvest time, I decided to try making my own.

 

Most of the recipes I saw make at least twice as much Toum as this. This is still enough for about 4 meals for the 2 of us, which is as much as I'm going to want on hand at one time. I'd maybe like even less, but I think it would be hard to make less because of needing there to be enough in the food processor to engage with it. Does it freeze? I don't know; I may try it at some time. It does keep well in the fridge (assuming you keep the spoon clear of the meat, *cough, cough*) 

I used about 1/3 extra-virgin olive oil to a more mild, neutral oil. Olive oil is traditional, but a more neutral oil will let the garlic really shine and make the sauce more versatile, and may allow for a better texture too. And really, given the amount of garlic in this, good olive oil will be a bit lost. 

It isn't necessary to chill the ingredients, but if the sauce gets too warm it may break. I found it helpful to peel the garlic the night before in order to speed up the process of making the sauce the next day. Next time I would put the other ingredients into the fridge along with the garlic. 

Fresh mint is a possible addition to this, or since I have a lemon in hand I'd be tempted to add a little lemon zest.

 

makes 1 generous cup - 8 servings

20 minutes to peel garlic

20 minutes to make sauce 

 

1/2 cup (about 3 large heads) peeled and trimmed cloves of garlic

3/4 teaspoon salt 

1 cup mild vegetable and/or olive oil

the juice of 1 lemon

 

Peel the garlic and measure it out. Put them into the fridge to chill, along with the oil and the lemon. 

To proceed, trim the roots and any bad spots off of the garlic. Put them in the small insert bowl of a food processor with the salt, and process to a paste. This will take about 5 minutes, and you should stop and scrape down the sides several times. 

Begin adding the oil, about a teaspoonful at a time. Let each spoonful be well blended in before you add any more. Continue this way until you have a smooth, light emulsion; probably a further 10 minutes. Slowly process in the lemon juice. Taste, and adjust the salt and/or lemon juice if you like. Transfer to a sealable container. 

It will keep in the fridge for at least a week and up to a month, although it will lose flavour as it sits. Given how strong it is when it is first made, this perhaps not a terrible thing; it may be desirable to make it a day or two in advance of when it is first wanted to allow it mellow somewhat. Keep it well sealed for the sake of the sauce, and also everything else in the fridge.

Serve with grilled meats, poultry, fish, or tofu; use it on salads and sandwiches. 

 

 

 

 

Last year at this time I made Broiled Eggplant with Tahini Dressing & Red Currants.