If you, like me, love zero-waste or recovery recipes, those that allow you to serve tasty dishes at zero cost and waste, you are in the right place! This one, among my many accompanying sauces, is really delicious and clever because it is made precisely from the edible parts of vegetables like the cauliflower that would otherwise be discarded and thrown away! Instead, here, they become the undisputed main characters! The result is a super delicious and versatile vegan mayonnaise, with a creamy and velvety texture that will literally win you over! You can prepare it for the upcoming holidays to accompany all your appetizers. It will be perfect to add to canapés, vol-au-vent, or as a sauce paired with vegetables, white and red meat main courses. I served it with oven-gratinated cauliflower florets for a really tasty vegetarian version, which I will show you shortly! In the meantime, take note of this recipe, which is also really quick and easy to make and you can prepare it well in advance and store it in the fridge or freeze it for special occasions!
Other accompanying sauces that might interest you:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
⚠ THIS RECIPE CONTAINS ONE OR MORE AFFILIATE LINKS. The products I recommend are the same ones I use in my recipes; purchasing them through my blog helps support me and my work, while it will cost you nothing extra!
- 10.6 oz cauliflower leaves (edible scraps)
- 1.4 oz mustard
- 3 sprigs lemon thyme
- 2 tbsp vegetable broth (only if necessary)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- 1 thread extra virgin olive oil
- to taste sesame seeds
- 1 sprig thyme
Tools
- 1 Knife
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Mixer
- 1 Immersion Blender
- 1 Spatula
Steps
Clean a cauliflower by removing all its outer leaves one by one (fig. 1).
Wash them thoroughly under running water and blanch in salted water for 8′-10′, even better if steamed, until they are tender when pierced with a fork (fig. 2).
Drain them and transfer them into the beaker of an immersion blender (fig. 3).
Season with salt and pepper (fig. 4)
Incorporate the oil in a thread (fig. 5)
Add the mustard and the fresh lemon thyme leaves (fig. 6).
Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of cooking water only if necessary to achieve the right consistency, but in my case it wasn’t needed, and blend intermittently (fig. 7).
You should obtain a thick, smooth, and homogeneous sauce (fig. 8).
Transfer to a bowl, season with a drizzle of oil on top, a handful of sesame seeds to taste, and a few more fresh thyme leaves.
And voilà… the vegan cauliflower leaf mayonnaise is ready to be enjoyed!
Enjoy from La Cucina di FeFè!
Storage
👉 You can store the vegan cauliflower leaf mayonnaise in the fridge inside a container, preferably glass, covered with food wrap or with an airtight lid for 2-3 days. You can also freeze it in single portions for up to 6 months.
Tips, notes, variations and suggestions
🟣 For an even more delicious version, you can turn this mayonnaise into a pesto to dress even your first courses, by adding a handful of walnuts, or other nuts as you prefer, and a few tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese.
