Two condiments I can't live without

Homemade mayo and pesto

Over the years, it has come to my attention that a lot of people don’t know how homemade mayonnaise or pesto is made.

Mayonnaise is incredibly easy to make. All you need is oil, an egg, lemon juice, mustard, and an immersion blender or strong arm. That’s all there is to it . . . so you would think. When I shared a video on how to make mayonnaise, the internet was sent into mayhem. People couldn’t quite believe mayonnaise was 80 percent oil and contained a raw egg. The news broke major Australian media and news outlets with headlines reading, “The internet found out how mayonnaise is made and it is not happy.” (I am not kidding!!)

While I would love to take credit for inventing mayonnaise, it is a French condiment that has been around for centuries, so you can only imagine how stunned and shocked I was to see how unhappy people were with the truth. The sad fact is we have become so far removed from how real food is made that when it’s shown to us step by step, we can’t quite believe our eyes. While most mayonnaise recipes call for a neutral oil, it should come as no surprise that I like to use olive oil. It makes it healither and just more delicious in my opinion.

The same goes for pesto. Whenever I share a video on how I make my homemade pesto the internet spirals and I’m inundated with comments around the use of olive oil. It’s getting to the point where I should get “too much oil” tattooed on my arm.

These two condiments are always in my fridge and are far healthier than anything you can buy in the store!! So I encourage you to sit down with your mortar and pestle and immersion blender this weekend and get to pounding and blending. There are so many ways that you can use up all of this deliciousness that it won’t be long before you are whipping out that blender and pestle again.

Now who knew I could write so much about two humble little condiments…

And while I have you here, please don’t forget it to preorder my US cookbook, Garlic, Olive Oil & Everything Mediterranean. It contains many recipes that use these two condiments!

Have a lovely weekend x

What’s Cooking This Week

While this isn’t quite a standard mayonnaise, it’s a garlic confit aioli, it applies the same technique and ingredients (minus the garlic) to be made. Aioli gets its signature flavor from garlic, and garlic confit offers a softer, sweeter approach. Slow-cooked in oil, the garlic becomes mellow and rich, blending smoothly into the sauce. It’s a different way to build flavor—gentler, but just as satisfying.

If you’ve never made pesto by hand, you’re in for a treat. This Authentic Mortar & Pestle Pesto recipe captures the soul of traditional Genovese cooking — fresh, vibrant, and deeply flavorful. Using a mortar and pestle instead of a food processor creates a rustic texture and releases the full aroma of the ingredients. It’s an old-world technique that’s absolutely worth the effort. Try it out in this vibrant and summery tomato tart and no cook tomato pasta that is drizzled with fresh pesto.