Recipes.qxp_Layout 7 25/03/2021 17:13 Page 1
FOOD & DRINK | RECIPE
Making veggies the main act Michelin-starred chef Rob Howell, at popular Bristol restaurant Root, shares a couple of recipes from his brand new cookbook. Photography by Alex Collins
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mong the many city restaurants we’ve been massively missing a sit-down meal in is the award-winning Root in Wapping Wharf; in fact it’s right at the top of the list. Lately its Michelin-starred head chef Rob Howell has been busy working on his debut cookbook so that we can try and whip up some of his signature flavours for ourselves, in veg-centric small plates designed to reflect a changing national attitude towards meat consumption. Known for quality produce, playing with convention, and an ethos centring on sustainability, Rob and the Root team make sure veggies are the main event rather than being relegated to the side dish, though there are always a couple of top-quality meat and fish options for the hungriest carnivores. The cookbook presents over 100 achievable yet elegant seasonal dishes – from cauliflower bhajis with pickled orange and cashew butter, to tempura spring onions with sweet chilli sauce, and doughnuts with carrot jam – to mix and match to suit large parties or cosy dinners for one. First though, we’re following Rob’s instructions for creating these delights...
Buttermilk-fried celeriac with Korean-style sauce (serves 5)
Forget fried chicken, this celeriac is all you will need to satisfy your KFC cravings. The sauce is easy to make and demands just a few specialist ingredients, though nothing you can’t find in a large supermarket, and will help transform all sorts of dishes. It also keeps very well.
For the sauce: 150g gochujang paste 100ml dark soy sauce 50g light brown soft sugar 25ml mirin 75ml rice wine vinegar 2 garlic cloves 50ml sesame oil 50g stem ginger and 1 tbsp syrup
• Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6. • Rub the celeriac with the teaspoon of oil and then rub over a good amount of sea salt and wrap the celeriac tightly in foil. Cover with a further 4 layers of foil – this helps the celeriac almost steam itself and leaves it with an amazing texture. Bake for about 1½ hours (the exact time will depend on the size of your celeriac), until tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Then, remove it from the oven and leave it to cool in the foil for 2 hours or so. • Remove the foil and then, using a knife, remove the celeriac skin, taking as little flesh away as possible. Using your hands, tear the celeriac flesh into small chunks – different sizes is best, so you end up with some nice, small crispy bits alongside some lovely large pieces. • Pour the cooking oil into a deep pan until two-thirds full and heat the oil to 180°C on a cooking thermometer or until a cube of day-old bread turns golden in 60 seconds (or preheat a deep-fat fryer to 180°C). • Get 2 mixing bowls: put the buttermilk (or oat milk) in one of them and the dredge in the other. Using your hands, place the celeriac pieces into the buttermilk or oat milk first, then into the dredge. Make sure the celeriac pieces have a good coating on them. Fry the pieces in batches, for about three minutes per batch, until golden and crisp. Set aside each batch to drain on kitchen paper, while you fry the next. • Once all the pieces are fried and drained, place them in a clean mixing bowl, season them slightly with salt and coat them in the sauce. Finish with a sprinkling of chopped coriander and toasted sesame seeds.
Dredge
Our chef Josh Gibbons brought this fantastic recipe with him when he joined us and it’s been used with most things imaginable ever since. In the book I’ve used it with the celeriac dish on page 26 and the chicken recipe on page 210, but don’t stop there and be free to use it as you wish.
1 celeriac 1 litre cooking oil, for frying, plus 1 teaspoon for rubbing the celeriac 200g buttermilk (or oat milk for a vegan version) Dredge (see below) 2 tsp chopped coriander 2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted Sea salt
400g strong white bread flour or gluten-free flour 40g corn flour 2g baking powder 6g garlic powder 8g onion powder 10g white pepper 6g smoked paprika 5g cayenne pepper 3g ground turmeric
For the sauce, simply place all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Add a little water if needed to reach a nice, saucy consistency. Keep in the fridge in sealed container until needed.
Combine the ingredients in a large bowl, then transfer to an airtight container and store in a dry place. The dredge will keep for 6 months or more.
For the fried celeriac:
40 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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APRIL 2021
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No 197
