Lebanese Garlic Spread

 

•  3 heads of garlic, pealed
•  4-5 cups of vegetable oil (canola/sunflower/peanut etc…)
•  2 lemons, freshly juiced.
•  1 teaspoon of salt (or to taste)

1. All ingredients must be at room temperature for a more reliable outcome and the food processor must be running steady throughout the whole process.
2. Add the garlic and salt in the food processor and run for 10-20 seconds.
3. Stop processor, scrap garlic down the sides, then run processor for another 10-20 seconds. Repeat process 3-4 times until garlic starts to turn pasty and looks crushed. This is very important to reach before proceeding. At this point, turn the processor back on and keep it on until the end.
4. Start adding the oil to the processor at a very slow rate, in a very thin stream, each ½ cup at a time. After adding the first half cup you will start seeing the garlic emulsify and turn into a paste already.
5. Add 0.5 to 1 teaspoon of lemon juice very slowly, in a thin stream.
6. Wait on it a few seconds until the lemon juice is well absorbed.
7. Then go back to repeating the same process of adding slowly ½ cup of oil, waiting a few seconds, then adding 0.5 to 1 teaspoon of lemon juice until you’ve used all ingredients. This process should take 8-10 minutes.
8. If at any point you see that the paste is turning liquid, it may be an indication that you’ve added either too much lemon juice, or oil, or you may have added them at a fast rate. In this case your options may be limited especially if the paste completely breaks. Sometimes adding a cube of ice may help.

 

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 2 tspn Calories: 300

Recipe by Mama's Lebanese Kitchen at http://www.mamaslebanesekitchen.com/dips/lebanese-garlic-dip/