An Ode to Garlic Tagging along on America's never-ending fascination with garlic, aioli is one of the year's hot food trends, showing up as a dip for fried calamari, a spread for jazzy sandwiches and an aromatic accompaniment for such foods as poached fish, grilled vegetables, frog's legs and roasted chicken. Proven al cooks have reveled in the potently garlic mayonnaise for generations, using it with joyous abandon. With American chefs delving deeper into regional European cuisines, its appearance here was inevitable.
Big flavor is the goal with aioli.
Kelly's basic recipe of garlic, salt, eggs and oil gets a flavor boost with anchovies. He drizzles saffron aioli over stewed mussels and basil aioli over baby artichokes. Stephen Kalt, chef-owner of Spartina, sides fried calamari with aioli, which he, too, makes in a mortar. In fact, Kalt follows tradition to the extent that he omits the eggs. Patrick No says a processor works fine for the thick aioli he serves with deep-fried frog's legs at Caf Celador.