276493 Fri Feb 11 16:53:45 -0800 2005 24 31 Home Cooking 0 1458949 I frequent a small Armenian restaurant that serves rotisserie chicken gyros, schwarma with a wonderful white garlic sauce. I always buy extra of the sauce and last time I asked the owner how long it keeps in the fridge. She said it keeps for a very long time since it's only garlic, oil, and lemon juice. Aha! Well, I tried to make it today... peeled some garlic and mushed it up in my food processor and blended in some olive oil and lemon juice. It came out much much stronger than theirs, with a lot more of that garlic burn. Theirs is more garlic taste, less burn, almost like the garlic flavor was somehow mellowed before turning it into paste. It's pure white so I don't think the garlic was roasted. Sooo... I decided to maybe heat it up in the microwave for a minute to maybe mellow it. The sauce turned green!!!! Anybody know what the heck happened? Is is safe to eat? Anybody maybe have a solid recipe for this stuff or ideas? Thanx! Fri Feb 11 16:53:45 -0800 2005 0 FoodSci 1 1458955 It should be safe to eat, but I have no idea why it would have turned green. Were there green shoots in the cloves that you didn't remove before you blended it? The cooking may have relased the chlorophyll more than simply macerating it did. Fri Feb 11 17:23:02 -0800 2005 1458949 0 MikeG 2 1458962 There were little green shoots in the garlic cloves. Would this do it? The color is pastel green... Didn't even think of it. Fri Feb 11 17:40:05 -0800 2005 1458955 0 FoodSci 3 1459012 I don't know for sure, but it might have. Cooking the sauce, especially in a microwave which pretty much just vibrates the heck out of every water-containing cell in sight, may have released the chlorophyll. You could always throw in some chopped parsley and tell people "it's supposed to look like that, it's my rendition of a Green Goddess sauce." LOL Sat Feb 12 08:20:22 -0800 2005 1458962 0 MikeG 1 1458959 A couple of things happened to your garlic. Olive oil turned it greenish (as olive oil tends to have a green tint to it), and when garlic oxidizes, it turns green, similar to the way apples turn brown when they oxidize. So, it's still edible, though ugly. Did you add salt to the paste? Usually, they mince the garlic with salt to get rid of the bite. I've also heard some places add yogurt to it which mellows out the garlic. Not sure if this would be the traditional way of preparing it or not. Fri Feb 11 17:29:03 -0800 2005 1458949 0 Juniper 2 1458961 This color of green is very unnatural, like lucky charms green, like pastel green. It's kind of freaky. Whe I put it in the microwave, the whole thjing was pure white. At first when I took it out of the micro-(only 1 minute) the edges were green, the rest of the top was still white. As I mixed it up, the whole thing was green. A reaction to the heat? It was pure white before I micro'd it. Weird. I didn't add any salt. I still have a few heads of garlic so maybe I'll try it on my next batch. Thanx! Fri Feb 11 17:38:23 -0800 2005 1458959 0 FoodSci 3 1458968 Went to wash out my food processor bowl, it's been about 1 hour since I processed the oil, garlic, and lemon juice, and everything in there is still white. Must've been the microwave!!! Fri Feb 11 18:12:00 -0800 2005 1458961 0 Wendy8869 1 1458963 Is this Zankou Chicken in LA? Because I think I've seen the recipe on the Internet somewhere--I'll look for it. Fri Feb 11 17:45:03 -0800 2005 1458949 0 farmersdaughter 2 1458964 The place I go to is similar... I would think that the sauce would be similar from what I've heard about it...haven't been to Zankou yet but planning on it. The place i go to is closer to my home in Whittier, CA. If you find the recipe please post!!! Thank you so much!! Fri Feb 11 17:49:59 -0800 2005 1458963 0 FoodSci 3 1458965 I miss Zankou! Here is a link discussing how to prepare the sauce. Good luck. Link: http://food4.epicurious.com/HyperNews/get/veggie/686.html Fri Feb 11 17:52:37 -0800 2005 1458964 0 farmersdaughter 1 1458972 You really need to puree the garlic to get the bite out. Normally I would just use my trusty knife. But if you are going to use a food processor, you probably should try emulsifying with the oil and lemon juice. You probably should let the mixture sit to mellow a bit. Salt to taste. Fri Feb 11 18:53:25 -0800 2005 1458949 0 mod'ern 2 1458979 That's what I did! The consistency of the sauce came out perfectly smooth, the garlic extremely pureed. I slowly streamed in the oil as one would do when making a mayonnaise. That part of the sauce was perfect and pretty much the same as the restaraunt serves except for the burn of the garlic and the green color after I microwaved it. Maybe next time I'll try your advice and let it sit for awhile. I actually thought about that before I microwaved it but I was a little too impatient I guess. Thanx! Fri Feb 11 20:00:54 -0800 2005 1458972 0 FoodSci 3 1458993 It might also have to do with the type of garlic. Elephant garlic and other varieties may give a softer bite. Another option would possible be to steam the garlic for 10-15 minutes, or blanch it for a few minutes. Maybe that'll work? Fri Feb 11 23:46:10 -0800 2005 1458979 0 Curtis 4 1458998 Blanching is a good idea. I occasionally blanch garlic when I'm making pesto and the garlic is particularly strong. I stick it on a wooden skewer and hold it in boiling water for about 20 to 30 seconds, then immediately into an ice bath. It really mellows it nicely. Sat Feb 12 00:15:54 -0800 2005 1458993 0 farmersdaughter 1 1458974 The garlic sauce served in many Middle Eastern restaurants is calle Toum. Try googling it. Fri Feb 11 19:22:46 -0800 2005 1458949 0 the food guy 1 1458980 Garlic turns green sometimes during pickling - but it is supposed to be safe to eat. Heating garlic in acidic yogurt is not that far from pickling - so that may explain the color I think if you chill the sauce overnight, the garlic flavor would be less sharp. Remember, they keep their sauce for a long time - there must be some loss of pungency during storage. Here is a quick googling on garlic color: Garlic. If desired for flavor, use mature, fully-dried, white-skinned garlic, free of blemishes. Garlic contains a water-soluble pigment that may turn blue or purple. A blue-green color may develop in pickles made with stored red-skinned garlic. Immature garlic, garlic that is not fully dry, or red-skinned varieties may turn blue, purple or blue-green. Except in the case of a bright blue-green color resulting from abnormally high concentrations of copper-sulfate, such color changes do not indicate the presence of harmful substances. http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09314.html Fri Feb 11 20:23:53 -0800 2005 1458949 0 summertime 1 1458984 Try using a morter & pestle on the garlic. I have no idea why this should be true, but that process produces a much sweeter, good-to-eat-raw end-product than mincing or putting through a garlic press. Fri Feb 11 21:00:59 -0800 2005 1458949 0 Tatania 1 1458989 All of the recipes I have seen says you should not use a food processor, you should use a blender...y Fri Feb 11 21:54:40 -0800 2005 1458949 0 nikki 1 1458992 I've been making an amazing sauce with my stick blender; 1 clove garlic, 2 T. tahini, 2 T. EVOO, 2 T. water, juice of half a lemon...It truly amazes me how stiff it gets after blending for a minute or so...I would try the same thing, without the tahini, to make the sauce you crave..It takes WAYYYYYY less raw garlic than you would think... Link: http://www.bistrodraw.com Fri Feb 11 23:15:02 -0800 2005 1458949 0 galleygirl 1 1459005 Pureed garlic and onions take on a green tinge when cooking. The heating in the microwave is probably what did it. Sat Feb 12 04:31:24 -0800 2005 1458949 0 boogiebaby 2 1459013 Heating them how? They never turn any shade of green when I saute them or even just sweat them before making sauces. Sat Feb 12 08:44:37 -0800 2005 1459005 0 MikeG 1 1459176 Wendy, if you're talking about Zankou and similar places, they use other ingredients in their Garlic sauce, including potato. Sun Feb 13 11:22:50 -0800 2005 1458949 0 Dorothy 2 1459187 Haven't been to Zankou yet- but looking forward to going. I'm talking about Hrazdan Chicken in Whittier, my new addiction. When I asked how long the sauce keeps in the fridge, because I was buying a huge tub of it, the owner said forever because all it is is garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. Didn't think it would be that hard to re-create. I have to try it one more time. I got pretty close until it turned green. Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I got more lemons yesterday and I'm going to try maybe blanching the garlic, using my blender instead of the food processor, and then letting it sit for awhile. I'll post if it turns out! Sun Feb 13 13:16:46 -0800 2005 1459176 0 Wendy8869 3 1459249 Just FYI. From a strict food safety standpoint, "forever" is a little disturbing unless you heat it hot enough to kill off any Clostridium spores (they produce the toxin that causes botulism.) The bacteria grow in anaerobic environments, like oil in a covered container. The cold and acidity from the lemon juice should keep them at bay, even if present, but those are not guarantees. That being said, I know people who keep flavored oils in the fridge for long periods with no ill-effects, but it is something to be aware of. I forget what temp USDA guidelines call for heating mixtures like this to, or for how long, but I'm someone here knows if it concerns you. Mon Feb 14 09:36:20 -0800 2005 1459187 0 MikeG 1 1459419 The think the secret in making this garlic paste/sauce is to blend the garlic, salt and lemon juice first in a high speed commercial blender like vitamix until it is absolutely processed. The high speed will slightly cook the garlic and raise its temperature ridding the bite of raw garlic then slowly add the oil to produce a mayo consistency. Try it, i bet it will work! Let me know if you are satisfied with the results. Tue Mar 08 03:55:51 -0800 2005 1458949 0 observer