Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 5-10 garlic cloves ,peeled
• Coarse sea salt
• 2 free range egg yolks
• 1 heaped tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 500 ml extra virgin oil, not peppery

To serve:

• Cooked prawns
• Hard boiled eggs
• Cooked salt cod flakes
• Cauliflower florets
• Boiled potatoes
• Artichokes
• Green beans, runners
• Mussels
• Beetroot
• Boiled carrots

Method:

• Crush the garlic with a generous pinch of salt. Scrape it into a bowl with the egg yolks, mustard and 1 tablespoon water. Whisking constantly, add the oil very slowly st first; the, as the emulsion begins, faster and faster. If the aioli is too thick, add a little warm water.
• Serve the aioli on a large platter surrounded by all or some of the ingredients suggested, or a selection of crudities, or even just some good bread.

recipe by Alex MacKay and photo by Peter Knab