Taramosalata Food

TARAMOSALATA

Steps:

• Place bread in a bowl, cover with water and let sit until the bread is well soaked, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain water from the bowl and squeeze all of the excess water from the bread.
• Combine bread, olive oil, onion, and lemon juice in a food processor; process until smooth and homogeneous. Add tarama and process until well combined.

TARAMOSALATA: CARP ROE SPREAD

Steps:

• Combine the water and milk. Soak the bread in water and milk and squeeze it dry. Put the bread, tarama, onion, lemon juice, and olive oil in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add water as needed. Fold in chopped parsley and refrigerate overnight. Serve with crostini. Notes: Taramosalata is found in every Greek household, especially during the Lenten season. It is also Also very popular in taveranas all over Greece. It is best eaten on crisp pita or crackers as a meze with ouzo or Restina wine. It is a dish that Greeks eat on a daily basis.
• For crostini:
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, mix together the garlic and butter. Brush the butter/garlic mixture onto each slice of bread. Place the bread on a sheet pan and bake until crisp and golden brown, about 10 minutes.

TARAMASALATA

Steps:

• Run the almond, potatoes and onions through a meat grinder, allowing the mixture to drop into a bowl with a little corn oil at the bottom. Combine the potato mixture with tarama and transfer it to a standing mixing bowl. Fit the mixer with a paddle attachment. Add lemon juice and mix on #2 speed. Add corn oil in a slow steady stream. If mixture gets too thick, ad a splash of seltzer. Continue to add oil until it is fully blended. Add olive oil in slow steady stream. Combine and finish with seltzer until mix is the consistency of light mashed potatoes.

TARAMASALATA

Steps:

• Place potato in saucepan and cover with water.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until cooked through.
• Drain and set aside to cool a bit.
• Process potato, roe, onion and lemon juice thoroughly.
• The more roe that is mashed, the better the dip will taste.
• Gradually add in the oil until thoroughly combined.
• Transfer to a serving bowl.
• Can garnish with kalamata olives if desired.
• Serve with bread.

TARAMOSALATA

Steps:

• Have ready a stand mixer fitted with a grinding attachment. (You may use a ricer or grater, but the results will not be the same). Coat your mixing bowl with a small amount of corn oil. Pass the onion, potatoes and almonds through the grinder and into the bowl. Fold in the tarama.
• Remove the meat grinder and fit the mixer with the paddle (or use a wooden spoon). With the mixer on medium, add the lemon juice and then the remaining corn oil in a slow and steady stream. Slowly add the olive oil, mixing constantly. Add the seltzer a few tablespoons at a time. It should have the consistency of a light and airy mousse. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

TARAMASALATA, HOMEMADE

Steps:

• The computer is at it again. I said "pressed cod roe", because that's what it says on the tin, but it "doesn't recognise" it. It's a firmly compressed, canned, light pink cod roe. So what you need is about 7oz/200g canned cod roe.
• Whirl 2 slices of bread in a processor or blender. I used brown bread, because that's all I had available. Remove and measure 1 cup.
• The usual tin of "pressed cod roe" is solid, so break it up and add to processor. Add bread. Whizz. It will be stiff, so just mix quickly and stop.
• I simply cut 1/3 off a sweet onion and weighed it for Zaar's purposes. You can use any small onion you have available.
• Add the chopped onion, Liquid Smoke, garlic, lemon juice and salt, and whizz again until well mixed.
• Add 2 tablespoons oil first, and see what the texture is like, then add the extra tablespoon.
• *NOTES: We get a highly concentrated hickory smoke "liquid smoke" in a bottle (quite natural, would you believe). It's handy to give that hint of smoke, as I've never been able to find "smoked cod's roe" as some recipes prescribe. If you can't find it, just leave it out.
• Also, most recipes use less roe and much more olive oil and bread, but somehow that would never have worked here. As it is, this taramasalata was still fairly soft after 2 hours in the fridge. I think leaving it overnight would be best: it will firm, and the flavours will mix.
• I kept thinking that lime juice would have been perfect, just a little less than specified, but I didn't have limes.
• Your mixture will probably need more salt. In the end I added more than stated above.

TARAMASALATA

Steps:

• Soak the bread in a bowl of cold water, then squeeze out the excess and tip into a food processor or blender. Cut through the thick skin of the roe lobes, scrape out the soft roe underneath and tip into the food processor with the bread. Add the onion, garlic, lemon juice and a good grind of black pepper, then whizz to a paste.
• With the motor running, gradually drizzle in the olive oil, then the sunflower oil, until everything is incorporated and you have a slightly thicker paste. Scrape the taramasalata into a serving bowl, drizzle with a little more olive oil and serve with toasted pittas for dipping.