Thursday, January 28, 2010

Pistachio Rouille

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So I have ooh'ed and aahh'ed about Chef Marcus Samuelsson before, and this recipe comes from his cookbook "The Soul of A New Cuisine".
Rouille is a garlicky younger cousin of mayonnaise or a tarty sister-in-law of aioli, to be used as a condiment with grilled fish and white meats.

I also read about peoples spectacular failures at homemade attempts at it, since it involved emusifying olive oil into raw egg.

Oooops, wait, did someone say RAW EGG?

So when I saw Samuelsson's recipe had no trace of raw egg in it, and instead, utilized a big happy potato, I was ALL FOR IT.
Potatoes or Po-TAH-toes and I, you see, have NO problems getting along.

And as a sidebar, this is really supposed to be a CONDIMENT. But in our house it translated into full-on Gravy status, knocking the poor little salad into the background, and quite possibly usurping the main dish as well.
Rouille is typically used in Provencal cooking , as a garlicky side note for dishes like bouillabaisse and grilled chicken. It is extremely tart and the garlic will pack a punch, so be warned. A little goes a LONG way, but I loved how it kicks up the dish a notch. And again, kudos for the cheftastic genius in adding pistachios into this dish, which adds another note of elegance.
I'm also seeing a lot of potato being used as a substitute for egg based dishes, and I wonder why. If anyone knows the science behind it, do let me know....
Pistachio Rouille (adapted slightly from Soul of a New Cuisine , Marcus Samuelsson)

2 Tbsp pistachios
4 cloves roasted garlic
1/2 cup mashed potatoes
grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
3/4 cup EVOO
salt and pepper

1. Toast pistachios till fragrant. Cool.
2. Transfer to blender, add all remaining ingredients except oil, blend on low speed.
3. With blender running add oil in a slow steady stream.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
Use immediately. (I found the rouille didn't keep very well over the next few days, so it's best used fresh, else the oil startes to separate out and the texture changes).

7 comments:

Desisoccermom said...

Potatoes as substitutes for egg. Hun, that's a new one for me. Sorry, no insights on that front.

Rouille, younger cousin of mayo and sister-in-law of aioli -- I am assuming your words not Sauelsson's. As usual, a cool recipe from a witty gal. :) Love it, though I don't know if I am as adventurous as you to make it. Sigh!

I am sending you a reply to your mail. It is good to have you back. :)

Ranjani said...

I think Marcus Samuelson is a genius- he was also one of the nicer jugdes on Top Chef last season! This rouille looks gorgeous I'm sure it would make a nice dip with some endive spears or something too!

FH said...

Very interesting to use mashed potatoes instead of raw egg. Looks smooth and delicious. Even raw egg Rouille, you can't keep long anyway, better to make about a a day or two worth of the dressing. Good one Ann.

Unknown said...

Devouring the rouille (virtually)Will try it out and let you know

tasteofbeirut said...

Well I am sure Chef Samuelson is a genius and all but guess what! Chefs in Lebanon have been using potatoes in their garlic aioli (no eggs) for decades! (heck, i will throw in centuries!lol)
Great recipe Ann! and I like the photo a lot!

Arlette said...

To be honest never tried any of Marcus recipes yet. I saw him couple of times cooking on tv. But I like the idea of replacing potato instead of raw eggs, it looks similar to our garlic sauce... need to give it a try to compare the taste.

Joanne said...

I've never had a rouille but I'm pretty sure I need to. Especially this one. Roasted garlic AND pistachio. Minus the raw eggs! I really can't imagine a better gravy than that.