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By Root 4083 0

oil and vegetable oil, I have satisfied myself that, for a lighter sauce, vegetable oil is to be preferred. A good extra virgin olive oil brings a sharp accent to mayonnaise. It may even, as in the case of some Tuscan oils, make it bitter. One could resort to a thin, light-flavored olive oil, but why bother? Except when bolder flavor is required, as a few of the recipes in this book indicate, you might as well make vegetable oil your unvarying choice.

Be sure to start with all the ingredients at room temperature if you don’t want to struggle to get your mayonnaise to mount. Even the bowl in which you will beat the eggs and the blades of the electric mixer should be run under hot water to warm them up.

Cautionary note Homemade mayonnaise is made with raw eggs, which may transmit salmonella. I have made it dozens of times without encountering the problem, but if you are concerned about the possibility of salmonella poisoning, and particularly if you are planning to serve the mayonnaise to elderly people, or to very young children, or to someone who is immune deficient, use packaged, commercial mayonnaise.

Over 1 cup

The yolks of 2 eggs, brought to room temperature

Salt

From 1 to no more than 1⅓ cups vegetable oil, depending on how much mayonnaise you want to make

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Using an electric mixer set at medium speed, beat the egg yolks together with ¼ teaspoon salt until they become colored a pale yellow with the consistency of thick cream.

2. Add oil, drop by drop, while beating constantly. Stop pouring the oil every few seconds, without ceasing to beat, to make sure that all the oil you are adding is being absorbed by the egg yolks and none is floating free. Continue to dribble in oil, beating with the mixer.

3. When the sauce has become quite thick, thin it out slightly with a teaspoon or less of lemon juice, always continuing the beating action.

4. Add more oil, at a faster pace than at first, interrupting the pouring from time to time, while you continue beating, to allow the sauce to absorb the oil completely. As the sauce thickens, beat in a little more lemon juice, repeating the procedure from time to time until you have used up the 2 tablespoons. When the sauce has fully absorbed all the oil, the mayonnaise is done.

5. Taste and correct for salt and lemon juice. If you are planning to use the mayonnaise on fish, keep it on the tart side. Beat in any additions of salt and lemon juice with the mixer.

Food processor note I don’t see any advantage in using the food processor to make mayonnaise, except for its insignificantly faster speed. Mayonnaise out of the processor does not taste quite so good to me as that made with the mixer, and the processor’s bowl is much more of a nuisance to clean.

Salsa Verde and Other Savory Sauces

Piquant Green Sauce

Salsa Verde

WHEN A bollito misto—mixed boiled meats—is served, this tart green sauce invariably accompanies it. But salsa verde’s uses are not limited to meat. It can also liven up the flavor of boiled or steamed fish. If you are going to use it for meat, make it with vinegar; if for fish, with lemon juice. The proportions of the ingredients given below seem to me well balanced, but they are subject to personal taste and may be adjusted, accentuating or deemphasizing one or more components as you may find desirable. The instructions below are based on the use of a food processor. If you are going to make the sauce by hand, please follow the slightly different procedure described in the note at the end.

4 to 6 servings

⅔ cup parsley leaves

2½ tablespoons capers

OPTIONAL: 6 flat anchovy fillets ½ teaspoon garlic chopped very fine

½ teaspoon strong mustard

½ teaspoon (depending on taste) red wine vinegar, if the sauce is for meat, OR 1 tablespoon (depending on taste) fresh lemon juice, if for fish

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt

Put all the ingredients into the food processor and blend to a uniform consistency, but do not overprocess. Taste and correct for salt and tartness. If you decide to add more vinegar