Season
Dietary
Come Celebrate Celeriac!
This veggie should be a winter staple, especially in the UK. It’s related to celery, but with a nuttier flavour and sweeter flavour, which develops when cooked. Great enjoyed raw and finely sliced, or as a fabulous centrepiece. Helen Graham’s recipes celebrate vegetables and seasonal flavours. Her roast celeriac centrepiece is packed with a mixture of warming spices, on a bed of cooking creamy tartare. Try it, or one of our other celeriac celebratory recipes, this week!
Roast celeriac with preserved lemon tartare sauce and walnut oil by Helen Graham
· 1 celeriac
· 2 tbsp olive oil
· 1 tsp maldon
Walnut oil:
· 100ml olive oil
· 50g walnuts, finely chopped
· 1 tbsp agave syrup or honey
· 2 tbsp aleppo chilli (regular chilli flakes also fine)
· ½ tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed
· ½ tsp hot paprika
· ½ tbsp agave
· ½ tsp salt
· ½ tbsp sumac
· 1 tbsp lemon juice
Preserved lemon tartare:
· 200g creme fraiche
· 1 tbsp mayo
· ½ tbsp dijon mustard
· 1 tbsp capers, roughly chopped
· 1 tbsp chopped chives
· 1 tbsp chopped tarragon
· 50g preserved lemon, seeds removed and finely chopped
· ½ tsp salt
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180c fan
2. Peel the celeriac, place on top of a sheet of foil on a baking tray and rub in the olive oil and salt. Cover tightly with the foil and roast around an hour until you can easily slide a knife through the middle before uncovering with the foil and placing back in the oven for a further 15 minutes. You may need to roast your celeriac for longer than 1 hour initially depending on the size.
3. At this point it should be golden and allow you to slide a knife through the middle but if there’s still some resistance, place back in the oven until cooked through.
4. Meanwhile, to make the walnut oil, place the olive oil over a medium heat and fry for a few minutes until the nuts have darkened in colour. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and stir in the remaining walnut oil ingredients.
5. Stir together the ingredients for the tartare sauce and spread over the bottom of your serving dish. Finely carve the celeriac, place on top and then drizzle over the walnut oil.
Celeriac Soup, River Cottage
· 50g Butter
· 1 Celeriac, peeled and cubed
· 1 Potato, peeled and cubed
· 1 Leek, trimmed, washed and roughly sliced
· 1 Onion, peeled and roughly chopped
· 1 Garlic clove, sliced
· 1 litre vegetable stock (or chicken if preferred)
· Parsley & walnut pesto to serve
Method:
1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add celeriac, leek, potato, garlic, and onion, seasoning generously.
2. Sweat the vegetables for about 10 minutes until soft.
3. Add stock, bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes or until the celeriac is tender. Blend until smooth, return to the pan to reheat. Check seasoning, then serve with a drizzle of pesto.
4. This recipe originally appeared on River Cottage Christmas Fayre.
