Mediterranean (Lebanese?) Garlic Paste for gyros?

puree garbanzo beans with garlic .....

I'll bet that will give you the consistency of paste you're looking for .... add lemon, salt, etc to taste

Don't be afraid to ask for the recipe.  Or maybe be sneaky about it and just ask "what's in this sauce?"  And then take some sauce home with you to try to recreate it.  I'm never afraid to ask for a recipe, people are usually flattered.

Use garlic, cooked potato, lemon juice, salt, olive oil.

One of the countries, Greece I think, calls it skordalia.

Lebenese call it toum, but I think that usually implies egg yolks.

Which restaurant did you go to? Zankou Chicken? Usually that's the place that's connected to garlic sauce around Los Angeles.

Quote:

Originally Posted by French Fries 

 

 

Koukouvagia, in Greece, do they serve Gyros with some sort of garlic paste? I had many gyros in Greece, but that was a long time ago and I don't remember any garlic paste - maybe just some tahini or tzatziki. 
 

Thanks guys. 

We serve our gyros with tzatziki which is a sauce made with yogurt, cucumber, garlic, olive oil and vinegar and perhaps some herbs like mint or dill.  I'm not familiar with the garlic paste you speak of.  However the emulsion you mentioned in your first post "mashed garlic with lemon juice and salt, slowly drizzle olive oil as you emulsify" I know quite well, it is the basis of a greek potato puree called skordalia.  But alas you said that's not it either.  So I can't help you it seems other than to encourage you to ask the Lebanese man what his sauce is.  Ask him for all of our sake

Didn't we have a similar discussion a year or two back? I'm sure we did.

Are you sure it's not toum? That's the quintessential Lebanese garlic sauce. It's usually toned down in American/Lebanese restaurants, because the true gelt is incredibly garlicy.

Here, for instance, is Hussien Dekmak's recipe from his The Lebanese Cookbook:

2 garlic heads, cloves peeled

1 tsp salt

1 egg white

2 cups vegetable oil

Juice of 2 lemons or more to taste

Put the garlic cloves and salt in a blender or food processor and whiz to a smooth paste. Add the egg white and whiz again until smooth. With the motor running, very slowly pour in the vegetable oil in a constant, steady stream until all the oil is used up and the sauce is the consistency and color of mayonnaise. Add the lemon juice and keep whizzing until smooth. Taste and add more if necessary. Serve.

I have the dutch translation of a book originally called ;

Cuisine du Liban - written by Pomme Larmoyer. 2006 Marabout (Hachette Livre) - ISBN 978 90 5897 808 0

There are 2 somewhat similar simple sauces, one made with labna (yoghurt), the other with labné (yoghurt leaked out).

Labné bi toûm

Labné is yoghurt -called labna in Libanon- that has leaked out overnight in a cheesecloth.

The recipe; 3 cloves of garlic, 400 gr labné, 1 tbsp dried mint or a few fresh leaves chopped, olive oil, salt.

Rub the garlic and salt in a mortar until it's a paste. Add 1 tbsp labné and mix. Now put that mixture in the remaining labné and mix. Sprinkle with the mint. add a good dash of olive oil.

Labane bi khiyâr (some sort of tzaziki)

Labna (yoghurt) is used in this recipe. The autor mentions how to make it yourself by using some Bulgarian yoghurt. It's basically what we know as a thick Greek yoghurt type I guess.

The recipe; 2 cloves of garlic, 400 gr labna, half a cucumber, 1tbsp dried mint or chopped fresh leaves, salt

Rub garlic and salt in a mortar, mix some labna in and then mix into the rest or the loosened labna.

Add small deseeded cucumber in small cubes. Sprinkle with mint.

Also, you may like this blog, it's in french and there's another recipe on this page with potato, lemon etc.; http://absolumentbon.canalblog.com/archives/cuisine_syrio_libanaise/index.html 

FrenchFries, most toum I've had is dead white, as you describe. And it's much different in texture than mayo---both thicker and lighter, if that makes sense. I know Dekmak uses that comparison, but I think it's just forto give people unfamiliar with the sauce an idea.  

>>>>>> it's rather white or light grayish, it's thicker and has more texture than mayo, doesn't have the faintest taste or texture of oil or any kind of fat

my previous suggestion of garbanzo beans with some lemon and salt along with pureed garlic will give you a pretty keen paste, one I use all the time ... BUT I understand it isn't the one you're seeking .... you might even try pureed cooked soy beans

labna drained for a couple of days will give you a consistency and perhaps a taste close to what you're trying to find

or you might try the same thing with sour cream (drain with cheesecloth)

I suspect that when you do find the recipe for the paste that it will be fairly simple and please relay it to us .....

Quote:

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer 

Didn't we have a similar discussion a year or two back? I'm sure we did.

 

We did indeed (it's what turned me on to this forum) here's the link. I found BDL's recipe for skordalia to be the winner (for me). Give it overnight in the fridge to "set up" the potatoes take on the garlic flavor, spreading it without killing it. Use 1 whole head of garlic and don't omit the vinegar.