On my first trip to Catalonia, I watched my extended family members make alioli daily. As a devout mayonnaiseaholic, I was nothing short of giddy to see the liberal use of my favorite condiment. The women in the family always made it, except for the ones who happened to be menstruating at the moment (a sure-fire way to keep it from properly emulsifying), and they always used an immersion blender (a little less traditional, maybe, but terribly effective when the kitchen was already overflowing with people and food). <br /> <br />We ate it with vegetables and meats cooked in all kinds of ways-- roasted, braised, grilled. We ate it with fried potatoes, sometimes dusted with pimentón, sometimes not. My favorite way, though, was with the crusts of the sweet baguette that made an appearance at every meal. That garlicky bite made me swoon every time.

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