Garlic Aioli

So easy!!!!

Sounds really difficult making your own mayo but really it is not – takes about 5 – 10 mins and it is really worth it.

Ingredients:

1 egg yolk
1 tspn dijon mustard
Squeeze of lemon
Salt and pepper (always use sea salt preferably Maldon)
Vegetable oil (about a cup)
Extra Virgin olive oil (about a cup)
1 or 2 garlic cloves (depending on how strong you want it)

Put egg yolk, dijon, lemon in a bowl with a wee bit of salt

Get a balloon whisk and give it a good mix.

Add tiny tiny tiny bits of vegetable oil, whisking all the time.

I think it is best to add a wee tiny bit – stop – whisk a lot – then add a wee tiny bit more – stop whisk etc etc.

The mixture will start to look a bit like single cream and you will think this will never thicken up like mayo.

Keep going, whisk whisk whisk.

All of a sudden it will go thick!!

Once this happens you can add the oil without as much care.

I usually try to do half half with vegetable oil and olive oil but it is up to you.

Once you have added all your oil you have a basic mayonnaise.

Take the garlic clove and finely chop add a pinch of sea salt. Use your knife flat side down and press on top of the garlic to make a paste. Add paste to mayonnaise.

Add as much or as little of the garlic as you wish and season to taste.

Other options for favoured mayos:

Anchovy, caper and parsley (chop finely and add with some more lemon)
Saffron (take a small pinch of saffron and add a splash of boiling water let it steep then whisk into mayo)
Seeded mustard
Tarragon
Roasted garlic (instead of using fresh garlic roast a bulb of garlic, squeeze cooked sweet cloves out and make into paste then add to Mayo)
Chopped fresh mango (use as a dip for king prawns)

Wild Garlic update!! (and stir frying tips)

I am still very excited about Wild Garlic!!

After a few more trips down to the “veggie patch” I have collected a lot more of the fabulous stuff to play with.

I have now used it in 2 dishes.

Firstly I used it in some smoked haddock fish cakes – and a veggie “fish” cake with no fish for my dad.

Both were fab.

I also cooked a cheeky wee veg stir fry and chucked in a handful of finely sliced wild garlic at the end – winner.

Just a few wee hints for all those out there that have disappointing stir fries on a regular basis:

1. Keep it simple – stick to 2 or 3 main ingredients e.g. Snow pea, tofu and Bok choy

2. DO NOT use scary supermarket “Stir fry sauces” – YUCK!!

3. Take a trip to your local Chinese supermarket and buy some light soy, Shoaxing wine (Chinese rice wine for cooking), Oyster sauce, sesame oil, chili oil, fish sauce and Hoisin sauce. In my opinion the essentials are the light soy and Shoaxing wine.

4. Get the best quality sauces – they will last for ages and they are relatively cheap anyway. Lee Kum Kee is great,

5. A good base for a stir fry is a couple of fresh garlic cloves cut into match sticks, a thumb size piece of fresh ginger cut into match sticks (don’t use the wrinkly old piece of ginger from the bottom of the fruit bowl!).

Add a good glug of peanut oil to your wok, heat it up until it is almost smoking. If you don’t have peanut oil you can use sunflower or vegetable – do not use olive oil it will burn.

Pop in the garlic and ginger and quickly fry for about a minute (it should be starting to colour but not burn). Add a teaspoon of white sugar and fry for 30 seconds to a minute making sure the garlic/ginger is not getting to scorched. Add a good splash of Shaoxing wine (about 3 table spoons).

Cook down for a minute or two then add your chosen ingredients.

After 2 or 3 minutes add light soy (add to taste).

Easy – these flavours enhance you ingredients and do not overpower them. That is the key to stir frying.

6. Do not over cook your veg

7. Make sure your rice or noodles are ready to rock and roll – stir fry must be cooked and served immediately

8. Tofu and meet should be cooked removed from wok, then veg stir fried, then add meat or tofu back in to warm though. Do not cook altogether – it will not work.

9. Some veg cooks quicker than other veg, what I do is I add the veg which will take longer first and then add in stages taking into consideration the cooking time. Additionally think about how long the ingredient will take to cook when you cut it e.g. cut carrots very finely and add them at the last-minute. I use a speed peeler and peel strips then pile the strips on top of each other and cut into thin match sticks. Carrots cut into discs will take forever to cook.

That was a wee bit of a tangent from Wild Garlic – I think I will update the heading to include stir fry tips….