This meal turns the humble celeriac into a hearty yet elegant pasta-like delight.
Ingredients:
- 1 small celeriac, peeled
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 40g pumpkin seeds
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 15g butter
- 4 thyme sprigs, leaves removed
- 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic
- ½ tsp of dried chilli flakes
- 1 bunch of chard, leaves separated from stalks, stalks sliced and leaves shredded
- 20g pecorino
Method:
- Using a good vegetable peeler, cut long, wide strips (about the width of pappardelle) around the circumference of the celeriac, into a bowl of water and lemon juice, until you have lots of ribbons. Allow for more than you would if using pasta.
- Dry-fry the pumpkin seeds in a pan until they’ve puffed and popped. Set aside.
- Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the celeriac for 1 min, drain and reserve the water. In a non-stick frying pan, heat the oil and butter until the butter has melted and foamed up. Add the thyme, garlic and chilli.
- Cook the garlic mixture for 5 mins until fragrant and almost golden, add the chard stalks and stir, cooking for a couple more mins.
- Add the pumpkin seeds and the chard leaves, season and squeeze in some lemon juice. Turn up the heat and stir in half the grated cheese. Add the celeriac and a slosh of the cooking water and toss, shaking the pan until the sauce looks glossy.
- Divide between plates, top with more cheese and serve.
