Tag: #lowcarb

Miracle Mayonnaise #lowcarb

Emma6 Comments
Bowl containing home-made Miracle Mayonnaise
Home-made mayo mixed with chopped celery, red peppers and tomatoes.

Chums, I have a new recipe for you that will TRANSFORM your life.

A bold claim, I know, but this nifty trick will help you bash up a batch of home-made mayonnaise in less than 30 seconds. I have timed it. No more standing there trickling oil in drop by drop and curdling it when you slip up and pour too much oil in. No—this is foolproof.

Several weeks ago, I watched TV chef John Torode make this on Celebrity MasterChef. He was demonstrating how the contestants should make mayonnaise if they were to recreate his recipe in the time specified. The two celebrities trying the recipe out did not use his method, opting for the conventional mayonnaise method, but John’s way intrigued me. That couldn’t work, surely…?

Glory be. It does. Super, super easy. I love Hellman’s Mayonnaise but I am also queen of the home-made, and with mayonnaise you get to control the oil. Commercial brands use cheap vegetable oils. For my version, I used Cretan olive oil—a mild one as the extra virgin stuff is too strong for mayonnaise.

Here is the recipe. Try it. Be amazed.

Miracle Mayonnaise

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

A fresh, easy to make mayonnaise you can use for salads, veggies, fish, ham and eggs.


You will need a stick blender and a tall, narrow vessel. I used a Pyrex jug.

Ingredients


1 large whole egg

250ml lighter olive oil, or a mix of olive and rapeseed oil

salt and pepper

1 tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar

1tsp Dijon mustard

Directions

  1. Crack the egg into your vessel. Add the mustard and salt and pepper. Pour the oil on top.
  2. Push your blender down so it is on top of the egg. Press it on and whizz until you get a thick sauce.
  3. Add the lemon juice or vinegar, blend again and taste. Add more salt and pepper if necessary.
  4. Place in a sterilised jar and store in the fridge. It will last four or five days.

Please note: this recipe contains raw eggs. According to the NHS, in the UK vulnerable groups such as the elderly, infants, children and pregnant women can eat raw or lightly cooked eggs but they should be British Red Lion stamped, hen’s eggs and come from the UK.

 

 

 

 

Broccoli, Pea and Mint Soup

Emma2 Comments

Regular readers will know I do love a soup recipe or two… This week I made and adapted one from the Sainsbury’s magazine.

The Broccoli, Pea and Mint instructions appealed to me as the broccoli stalk AND the florets are used, so it’s less wasteful. In the magazine, the writers recommended adding fried smoked streaky bacon and crumbled goat’s cheese to the top, but I used boiled eggs instead as that turns your soup into a main course that’s really filling.

You could also add a sprinkling of grated cheddar or parmesan. And be heavy-handed with the black pepper, as the soup benefits from the warmth.

Most soup recipes you find specify stock, usually chicken or vegetable. I don’t bother unless I have some home-made chicken stock on hand. I find stock cubes or bouillon pointless. It’s just flavoured salt, right?

Anyway, I’ve also halved the quantities here. I live in a one-broccoli household, i.e. only one of us likes it and the other thinks it’s the food of the Devil. Much as this soup appeals, two portions of it this week will be fine for me.

Broccoli, Pea and Mint Soup

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

  • Half a medium-to large sized head of broccoli
  • 1tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 2 spring onions, chopped
  • 125g frozen pea
  • 1tbsp mint leaves, chopped
  • 1tbsp parsley, chopped
  • 500ml water
  • Salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Chop the broccoli stalk finely. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the broccoli stalk and spring onions. Cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes.

Add the water, bring to the goil, turn down to a simmer and cook for ten minutes.

Add the frozen peas and broccoli florets, bring back to a simmer and cook for another five minutes.

Take off the heat, add the mint and parsley, and a decent amount of salt and puree using a hand blender.

You can top with smoked streaky bacon, fried and chopped, a good handful of grated cheese, or (as I have done in the picture), boiled eggs, some more mint and a hefty grating of black pepper.

Each serving contains 11g carbs and 8g fibre.