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pestle and mortar life, which survives, in part at least, in Greece and Turkey still. It is a cream salad, like the tahina salads on p. 43. And I’m sure it wouldn’t be as popular with us as it is, if electric beaters and liquidizers hadn’t come to save work in so many kitchens. And yet, when we first ate Taramasalata twenty years ago, the head waiter declared that it had been made by hand: ‘Downstairs in the kitchen. Here.’ I believe him now – I was sceptical at the time – because however I vary proportions and method, I never quite achieve the cool, granular texture of his handmade Taramasalata. But it is still delicious and worth making:

Serves 6

125 g (4 oz) tarama (salted grey mullet roe) or smoked cod roe

1¼ -cm (½ -inch) thick slice of bread

1 clove garlic, crushed or 1 tablespoon chopped onion

300–450 ml (10–15 fl oz) olive or corn oil

juice of 1–2 lemons

black olives or capers

If you are using a piece of cod’s roe, remove the skin first. Soak tarama or cod’s roe in water for an hour or two to abate the saltiness. Moisten the bread with a little water so that it turns to a thickish paste (cut the crusts off first), then put it into the blender with garlic or onion, and enough oil to keep the mixture moving. Gradually add the tarama or roe, and the oil, alternately to the blender. Should the mixture become unworkably stiff, put in a spoonful or two of water. The amount of oil required depends on your taste and the consistency of the Taramasalata. Finally, season with lemon juice.

If you intend to use an electric beater it is a good idea to start off with an egg yolk. Beat it with a little lemon juice, then add the bread, garlic or onion, and roe, gradually in small amounts, lubricating the mixture with olive oil or corn oil. This mayonnaise technique ensures that the oil doesn’t separate at all from the mixture.

Serve on a dish, well-chilled, and garnished with black olives. Thin toast or bread go with it. Taramasalata is also good when served in small pre-cooked pastry boats or tartlets and decorated with capers. Make sure the pastry is thin and crisp, and don’t put the Taramasalata into it more than an hour or two before the meal.

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