Make your own mayonnaise?! Go back to your roots and try homestead cooking

You can make your own mayonnaise, right in your kitchen.

Return to your roots – back to the homestead, when good old hearty meals were made entirely from scratch.

Dina Driggs shares details on this concept, and how you can bring the homestead into your own kitchen.

Find more recipes from Dina on Instagram, @dinasdiner, or on her website, www.dinasdiner.com.

Homestead Cooking

Homestead cooking refers to a style of cooking that’s often thought of as traditional, rural, and sufficient. It takes us back to the old days when people lived on homesteads and farms, grew their own food, and relied on what they could produce themselves.

This style of cooking usually involves using simple, unprocessed ingredients that are readily available on the homestead, or in your own pantry. The goal is to create hearty, wholesome meals that sustain the family or community, often with a focus on traditional recipes passed down through generations.

It can almost feel nostalgic nowadays, especially if you don’t live on a farm. It’s all about a simpler, more self-reliant way of preparing food.

Homemade Mayonnaise

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Sugar
• 1 tsp. Water
• 1/4 tsp. Lemon Juice
• 2 1/4 tsp. White Vinegar
• 1 Egg Yolk
• 1 Cup Vegetable Oil

METHOD

1. Mix salt, sugar, water, lemon juice and vinegar in a small bowl. Stir until sugar and salt are dissolved.
2. Beat egg yolk until it is a light yellow color.
3. Add half the vinegar mixture into the egg with a wire whisk.
4. Stream in a thin drizzle of oil into the egg and vinegar mixture until about 1/2 cup has been added. Beat continuously with the wire whisk.
5. Add the second half of the vinegar solution and beat until smooth.
6. Drizzle in the second half cup of oil in a thin drizzle. The mixture will begin to get thick. Continue to beat until smooth and a light cream color.
7. Refrigerate.

Homemade Ricotta Cheese

 INGREDIENTS

• 1 package cheesecloth
• Instant Read Thermometer
• Fine mesh strainer
• 4 Cups Whole Milk
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 2 Tbsp. White Vinegar

METHOD

1. Heat the milk in an eight quart saucepan until it reaches 175 – 180°. Stir occasionally so the milk does not burn.
2. Add the salt and vinegar and stir for 1-2 minutes. The curds will separate from the whey.
3. Turn the heat off and let the mixture sit on the stove for 20 minutes. Turn the heat on now and then to keep the temperature close to 170°. This is called the holding stage of cheese making.
4. While the ricotta is in the holding stage, lay cheesecloth in a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl. After the holding stage, pour everything into the cheesecloth lined strainer.
5. Let this drain for 30 minutes. The large bowl on the bottom will fill with whey water that you will throw away.
6. Pick up the cheesecloth and form a ball. Place the cheese in a bowl and then place in the refrigerator. If you squeeze a lot of water from the cheesecloth the ricotta may be dry. If it is dry, add a little whey water to the cheese.