Shrimp flavored aioli

Aioli is a lovely fragrant and pungent type of mayonnaise, originally used in the Catalan and Provencal cuisine. The great thing is that you can take the flavor in any direction just adding some pounded or chopped basil, fennel tops, dill or roasted nuts. It's also great flavored with lemon zest and juice. It's normally seasoned well and is used to enhance things like fish stew in order to give it a real kick. In this version I add a bit of Porto flavored shrimp stock, which gives a nice touch especially if you want to use it with steamed or stewed vegetables.

Ingredients:

     ½ small clove garlic, peeled

     sea salt

     freshly ground black pepper

     1 large free-range egg yolk

     1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

     285 ml extra virgin olive oil

        Porto flavored shrimp stock

     lemon juice, to taste

Method:

Smash up the garlic with 1 teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of EV olive oil in a pestle and mortar (or use the end of a rolling pin in a metal bowl). Place the egg yolk and mustard in a bowl and whisk together, then start to add your oils bit by bit. Once you've blended in a quarter of the oil, you can start to add the rest in larger amounts. When the mixture thickens, add lemon juice. When all the oil has gone in, add the garlic and any extra flavors (see above). To finish off, season to taste with salt, pepper and a bit more lemon juice, if needed.