Toum (Lebanese Garlic Sauce)

Toum is the Arabic word for garlic.  Toum, the Lebanese Garlic Sauce is Ambrosia.  It's incredibly easy to make but if you don't like garlic, don't bother.

Gather your ingredients:  1/2 cup of whole, peeled garlic; 1/4 cup lemon juice (fresh squeezed is best); 2 cups of a neutral oil--vegetable, sunflower, canola, whatever; 1.5 heaping tsps of salt. 

 

Place the garlic and salt in a food processor….

 

 

….and pulse…..

 

 

until it forms a paste.

 

 

While the processor is running, very slowly trickle in two teaspoons of the lemon juice.

 

 

With the food processor still whirring away, very slowly trickle in ½ cup of the oil.  It is imperative that you add the oil slowly, otherwise the toum will ‘break’ and you’ll just end up with garlic flavored lemon oil.  Fine, for drizzling on salads, but lousy toum.

 

Keep alternating between 2 tsp of lemon juice and ½ cup of oil.  Stop after every oil addition to scrape down the sides of the food processor.  Keep going  until all the ingredients have been added.

If you didn’t add the ingredients too quickly, you’ll have some lovely, fluffy, creamy toum.    What do you do with it?  What DON’T you do with it?  It’s a delicious dip for pita chips.  It goes great with sliced tomatoes.  Slice grilled or roasted chicken into strips and dip the into the toum for a delicious Mediterranean treat.