How To Make Mayonnaise

I've always read of people who, after eating the real thing, would never go back to store-bought mayonnaise. Mayo is one of those things that sits in my fridge for ages and I'm always a bit hesitant about its freshness when I open a jar. So when I wanted to try my hand at a salmon pasta dish, I thought I'd finally give homemade mayo a try.

The first two tries weren't anything special and I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about. Helman's actually tasted better. So, after some researching on the web, I came up with the following recipe which is a blend of several. After I made it, I understood about "not going back." This turned out super thick and rich, even more so the next day. Bliss on a soft-boiled egg or to dip warm asparagus spears into.

The trick is not to use egg whites. This calls for two egg yolks even though the original called for three. I used peanut and canola oil. It's important to use an oil that is not strong in taste and to add the oil slowly. Grapeseed and olive oils are fine, too.

Mayonnaise

2 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of cayenne (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
or 2 tablespoons white tarragon vinegar
1/2 cup peanut oil
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 teaspoon water

Wash the eggs before cracking. Put egg yolks, seasonings, lemon juice or vinegar, and 1/4 cup of the oil into a small food processor. Cover and pulse for a few seconds to incorporate ingredients. Now slowly dribble in the oil through the cap. Every-once-in-a-while, reverse speeds. You may not need to add all the oil. When thick, stop, remove top and with a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides. Replace the top and with motor running, dribble in the water.

Store unused mayonnaise in a covered container. Lasts for about 1 week. This turns even thicker and richer once refrigerated.

Green Onions, Mushrooms, New Potatoes and Goat Cheese

Before there was a Food Network or Gourmet Magazine, there was The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in which we get this little pearl of gastronomical wisdom: ". . . there’s nothing to beat good freshwater fish if you eat it when it has been alive half an hour ago and has come out of the pan half a minute ago.”

I’m so glad to see Disney filming The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven books by British author C.S. Lewis. This summer, they released the second book in the series, Prince Caspian. When I taught middle school, I taught them all to my sixth grade reading classes.

Recently, I heard from one of those students who is now an English professor in Florida! She readily confessed to swiping a whole set because “she loved the books too much” but couldn’t afford to buy them on her own. I'm happy to say she has them to this day.

I reassured her she wasn’t the only one. Turning a blind eye to a child’s love of books was part of my responsibility as a teacher. (Convincing my principal was another matter.)

One of the things I loved about that anthology was its expression of love for food and feasts. When Lewis wrote them before and after the brooding, dark days of World War II, food was genuinely scarce; but in Narnia, it was plentiful in one form or another from the gooey Turkish Delight to the menacing recipe for Man Pies.

In the first book, The Lion the Witch and Wardrobe, we are introduced to Mr. Tumnus, a faun, who enjoys sardines on toast and makes wonderful cakes to serve with his tea. Somewhere along the line, mushrooms come into play, and whenever I eat them, I fondly think of Narnia and the woodsy, earthy characters who inhabited that wonderful realm.

In 1998, The Narnia Cookbook was published by Lewis’ stepson. Sadly, it is now out of print. Used copies go for hundreds of dollars which many adults, let alone children, can't afford.

So, having said all that, I offer my own recipe in which I pay homage to that wonderful, magical land. It is perfectly respectful not to add the herbed goat cheese; but it’s addition certainly classes up this easy recipe with a simple richness that makes it a meal unto itself with a glass of wine and some crusty, artisan bread.

Mushrooms à la Narnia

8 ounces sliced button mushrooms (shitake are my favorite, though)
1 cup sliced green onions with tops
3-4 whole, canned new potatoes cut into chunks or thick slices (you won’t use the whole can)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon (more or less) dried thyme flakes
1/2 log, herb/garlic goat cheese, or to taste ( a couple tablespoons)
Olive oil
Butter
Kosher or Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper

Combine olive oil and butter in a stainless-steel frying pan and heat over medium/low heat until bubbly. Add mushrooms and green onions. Cook for a few minutes and then add the garlic and thyme. Sauté until mushrooms are soft and beginning to cook off their juices. Add the potatoes. Add a dozen or so fresh grinds from the pepper mill or to taste. Sprinkle with salt to taste. If too dry, add a bit more butter/olive oil. Stir. Now add the goat cheese and stir until it melts. Taste and season as necessary. Remove from heat and keep covered for about ten minutes or so to let the flavors blend.

Use a quality goat cheese and don't use plain for this recipe.

Chicken/Turkey Stock

Keep the ingredients of your stock simple: celery, carrots, garlic,
thyme, no salt, peppercorns and chicken bones. 

During high school, I worked as a busboy in a restaurant. Each night before closing, the cooks would fill a large stockpot with vegetables and leftover bones. It took two people to heft it up to the burner where it simmered all night to make a rich broth for the following day’s soup menu. That “slow and long simmer” is the key to a great stock.

• 3 to 3 1/2 pound chicken cut up, or chicken pieces or a combination of chicken/turkey pieces or carcasses
• 2 unpeeled carrots, washed and cut into large chunks
• 3-4 stalks celery, washed and roughly cut
• 1 large yellow onion, roughly cut, include the skins
• 3-4 garlic cloves, smashed, skins included
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme flakes
• 2 teaspoons whole peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
• 10 cups water
• optional: the end of a lemon, rind and all

Prepare the ingredients during the day and refrigerate. Before going to bed, place the pot on the range and bring to a boil and then turn to low and cover making sure it just simmers and does not boil. Let it simmer all night. (This works best on an electric stove.) In the morning, when cool enough to handle, scoop into a colander over a large bowl or pot. Then strain through a sieve. If desired, squeeze the vegetables and meat through a strainer to get the “juice.” If your broth doesn’t seem strong enough, add one can of chicken broth or simmer until reduced a bit. Your strained stock is now ready for soup.

Chicken feet make great stock, but you must simmer
for a minimum of six hours.

Notes:

If you can add two turkey wings to the chicken pieces to your stock pot, that makes the best broth, I think. And I SERIOUSLY recommend it.

For each pound of poultry, plan about 3 but no more than four, cups of water. You just want to cover the poultry and vegetables with water. 

Onionskins will turn the broth a rich golden color.

Save the bones of rotisserie chickens you purchase from the deli. Place in a Ziploc bag and freeze until ready to use.

Look for poultry on sale and freeze until ready to use. A good market will actually sell chicken or turkey carcasses. Simply add some chicken or turkey pieces to it. Cartilage, such as backs and necks, makes good stock as does chicken feet. Cut through large bones if possible.

Never add rosemary to your stock; it will turn it bitter. Add parsley to your SOUP, not your stock. 

A good stock when refrigerated will gel. Freeze stock in 3-4 cup freezer containers for later use.

A slow simmer will keep the broth golden and clear. If it’s allowed to boil, the stock will be cloudy. 

My favorite way to prepare broth is the simplest: To about six cups of stock, I add several pieces of lemon zest (use a vegetable peeler), and a few pinches of crushed red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer (not a boil). Before serving, sprinkle with dried dill. This is the nectar of the gods and perfect for sipping while watching the snow outside.