Naked BLT with smoked paprika mayonnaise

"There’s a new, naked trend in cooking. It's about dishes that are stripped back, free from gluten, artificial ingredients, preservatives or processed food. It’s a trend I actively embrace, mostly because it means recipes like this delicious BLT gets a tasty revamp, leaving only healthy wholefoods on your plate, but also because I really like eating naked (food)." Kris Franken, Lady Frankie

Credit: Benito Martin

• serves

  2

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 3 rashers nitrate-free bacon
• 200 g small heirloom tomatoes
• 1 zucchini, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• pinch of cracked black pepper
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cos lettuce (or crunchy lettuce of your choice)
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
• salt and pepper, to taste

Mayonnaise

• 2 large biodynamic egg yolks
• 1 tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
• generous pinch of sea salt
• ½ tsp smoked sweet paprika
• ⅔ cup macadamia oil

Instructions

Preheat the oven grill to 160˚C. Place bacon on an oven tray lined with baking paper and put on the top rack in the oven. Place tomatoes and zucchini slices on another lined oven tray and place on the bottom rack of the oven. Cook for 12-15 minutes or until bacon is crispy to your liking and tomatoes are blistered. Remove from the oven. Drizzle bacon with the vinegar, chop or tear coarsely and set aside. Season tomatoes and zucchini with pepper, drizzle with oil and set aside.

To make the mayonnaise, place egg yolks in a medium glass bowl and whisk for 2 minutes. Add lemon juice or vinegar, salt and paprika, and whisk for a further 3 minutes. Very slowly drizzle the oil into the eggs as you whisk constantly. Don’t stop whisking otherwise the mayonnaise may curdle. Once it’s thick and creamy, set aside.

To serve, lay two large lettuce leaves on each plate. Divide the avocado slices, tomato, zucchini, bacon, and seeds amongst the leaves. Top with a drizzle of mayonnaise, season and enjoy.

Note

• Smoked paprika can be found in most specialty food stores and delicatessens. 

• Leftover mayonnaise will keep for up to 1 week in the fridge.

• You can also add egg to the recipe, or substitute the bacon for smoked trout.

Photography by Benito Martin. Food styling by Alice Storey. Prop styling by Lynsey Fryers. Food preparation by Alice Storey & Georgina Larby. Creative concept by Louise Fay .

 

Kris Franken is the woman behind Lady Frankie. This journalist also fancies herself a wellness warrior, natural therapies junkie, and real-food advocate. She has set out to inspire others to eat ridiculously well and embrace a conscious life. Kris is also the columnist for Kitchen Farmacy on SBS Food.

Recipe by Kris Franken from Lady Frankie.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.