The Traditional Cyprus Recipe

The sight of the lovely pinkish-white blossoms of the almond trees in later winter, when they seem to dare the frost to come and stop their spring-time message, prompts thoughts of late summer and the lovely aromatic almond nuts, that are so good in cooking. I think of recipes, and of a lovely garlic sauce that uses almonds.

Cypriots love Skordalia with beetroot (both fresh and canned are very good flavour and value), but it is also very tasty with grilled chicken and fried or grilled fish. A small food processor comes in very handy, to make this dish quickly.

Ingredients
50g [1 coffee cup] of blanched, peeled almonds
8 cl white wine vinegar
Half a piece of Pitta bread or 1 slice white bread, toasted
1 or 2 large cloves of garlic (according to taste)
10 cl of Sunflower oil
Salt and ground black pepper
10 cl of water or a little more

Method

* Put almonds into food processor and whiz until ground.

* Crumble bread and add to almonds. Whiz again.

* Dribble in the vinegar - whiz. Dribble in the oil - whiz. (By now you should have a thick paste.)

* Add salt and pepper - keep the whizzing going.

* Slowly add the water until you get a lovely creamy, finger-licking good mixture.

It also makes a delicious "Dip" - slivers of carrot, cucumber, celery, goujons of fish on sticks, even potato flavoured crisps can be dipped to fish out a spot of the noble garlic sauce.

Enjoy!