Skordalia (Bread & Walnut Garlic Dip)

This historic version dates back to Ancient Greece, to a time when potatoes were not yet part of the daily diet and sour grape juice was used instead of lemons. Back then, garlic was already hailed for its health benefits and used liberally to give a boost to manual labourers as well as Olympian athletes. That's why skordalia is not a bread dip flavoured with garlic, but a garlic dip thickened with bread. Nowadays, it's often eaten alongside grilled vegetables, and also works well served with bread. 

ACTIVE TIME: 20 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 20 minutes
SERVES: 4-8

INGREDIENTS

• 260g (9¼oz) stale bread from around 290g (10oz) fresh bread
• 30g (1oz) garlic cloves (5-6 cloves)
• 100g (3½oz) walnuts
• 1 tsp salt
• 1½ tbsp red wine vinegar
• 120ml (½ cup) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve

METHOD

1. Remove the crusts from the bread until you have 140g (5oz) crustless bread (you can blitz the crusts into breadcrumbs, air-dry them completely and store at room temperature or in the freezer for other recipes). Cut the bread into chunks, dunk them in a bowl of water for a few seconds to soften slightly, then squeeze out as much water as possible and set aside.

2. Peel the garlic cloves and put them in a food processor along with the walnuts and salt. Blend them finely, then add the vinegar, 2 tablespoons of water, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and blend for 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the processor occasionally, until it has turned into a coarse paste.

3. Now add the bread, remaining olive oil, and 4 tablespoons of water and blend everything into a thick but easily spreadable dip, adding more water if needed. Transfer to a bowl, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let the flavours balance out and the dip thicken a little. Drizzle with extra olive oil before serving.