IN SEASON
Good Root Celeriac might be the unsung hero of the veg world.
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obbly celeriac might not be the prettiest of veg, but its subtle celery-like flavour with warm, nutty overtones makes it a bit of a hero in our books. True, its tough skin might make it a bit of a brute to prepare, but the effort is surely worth it. PREPARING CELERIAC The best way to tackle your celeriac is to top and tail it, then remove the skin using a potato peeler. Don’t worry if your celeriac looks massive either, you’ll find that you lose up to about a quarter of it once you’ve prepared it. HOW TO USE CELERIAC Once you’ve done the leg work, celeriac can be used in a variety of ways. You can cube it and toss it into stews, or it makes an absolutely banging soup. It also makes a tasty alternative to mash, roast it, or blitz it up to make a purée if you’re feeling fancy. Or, of course, you could always make like the French and turn it into remoulade. TAKE NOTE One thing to remember though, it will discolour quickly once peeled or chopped so, if you’re not planning on cooking it straight away, cover it in cold water with a squeeze of lemon or splash of vinegar to keep it looking fresh.
50 | THE WEST COUNTRY FOODLOVER
CELERIAC CURRY WITH CHARD AND CARDAMOM RICE Celeriac has a wonderful ability to soak up flavours, whilst also bringing its own subtle, nutty fragrance to proceedings. You can use a peeler to remove the skin but I find it easier to use a sharp knife instead as the root end can be a little gnarled, tangled and hard to navigate. A little wastage is acceptable for a clean result. SERVES 2
1 onion 2 garlic cloves 25g fresh ginger 1 celeriac 1 head chard 2 tomatoes Oil for frying e.g. sunflower or light olive 1 tsp mustard seeds A few curry leaves 1 tbsp curry powder ½ tsp turmeric 400ml coconut milk 1 chilli 1 tbsp ground almonds A few cardamom pods 150g brown basmati rice Salt and pepper
1 Put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold running water. Peel the onion, garlic and ginger. Grate them all on a fine grater, or pulse them in a food processor with a splash of water if you have one. Alternatively, you could just chop them all very finely.
2 Wash and peel the celeriac. Cut into 2cm cubes. Wash the chard and strip the leaves away from the stalks. Finely dice the stalks and shred the leaves. Roughly chop the tomatoes. 3 Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a saucepan. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Fry briefly until the mustard seeds start to pop. Add the onion, garlic and ginger. Mix and cook gently for 3 minutes. Tip in the curry powder, turmeric, tomato, celeriac and diced chard stalks. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the coconut milk. Season well with salt and pepper. Stir well and simmer for 20 minutes. 4 While it cooks, take the time to deseed and finely slice the chilli. While the celeriac cooks, bash the cardamom pods once or twice with the butt of your knife or a rolling pin. 5 Tip the rice into the pan of boiling water along with the cardamom pods. Stir once and lower to the gentlest of simmers. Cover and cook for 20-25 minutes. Taste the curry; if you would like it a bit hotter add some of the sliced chilli. If unsure at this stage, you can garnish with raw chilli at the end to add more heat. 6 When the celeriac is just tender, add the chard leaves and ground almonds. Simmer for a further 8 minutes until everything is tender and the liquid has thickened into a sauce. Add a dash more water if it looks too dry. Check the seasoning in the curry. 7 When the rice has cooked, drain it and remove the cardamom pods. Fluff it up with a fork and serve topped with the celeriac curry. Recipe by Riverford (www.riverford.co.uk)
