Throughout his childhood, Michael was my right-hand man in the kitchen. By the time he was ten, he’d be the first kid dressed on Sunday mornings and down in the kitchen helping me peel potatoes and carrots for our pot roast before we all headed off to church.
Michael with two of his girls
A generation later, Michael is the one with all the kids, and his family has become vegan, so (at my request), he’s gallantly become the head chef when we’re together, and I’ve become his sous chef.
He’s taught me a lot about how to enjoy vegan food, and one of the keys is using flavorful sauces. One of my favorite sauces is a garlic-infused oil that makes many things especially delicious.
Falafel pita sandwich drizzled with garlic-infused oil and fresh lemon
On their last visit home before leaving for his new assignment, Michael made falafel for dinner served with lots of veggies on pita bread drizzled with garlic oil. Of course, this emulsified garlic oil is excellent on all sorts of both vegan and traditional recipes.
Garlic-infused Oil
(Makes about 2 cups of condiment)
In a quart-sized canning jar (or other very deep container), combine:
1/2 cup crushed, fresh garlic
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Blend with an immersion blender until smooth and airy, and then slowly drip-add while continuing to blend:
Somewhere between 1.4-1.5 cups of canola oil (or other neutral-flavored vegetable oil)
It’s done when it’s the consistency of soft butter or mayonnaise. The amount of oil does affect the thickness, so stop and test it a couple of times during the process. If your family hasn’t devoured it on the spot, any remaining can be refrigerated and should stay emulsified for a couple of weeks or more.
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows” (Psalm 23:5; God also often gives us the joy of serving one another with oil! :) ).