Celeriac Recipe

Celeriac is a delicious, seasonal root veg, often ignored for its looks (alien brain, anyone?). But once you get past it's knobbly, soily exterior you are left with an earthy, nutty flavour which is featured raw or cooked in many Mediterranean recipes. Navigating your way around it's knobbly roots and bobbly skin doesn’t have to be difficult. Simply chop off the roots, peel if you wish, using a sharp knife, cutting off sections in a downward motion, and working your way around the veg. If you don't want to peel it, that's fine too, just give it a good wash and enjoy the extra fibre from the skin. And, if you don't plan to cook it straight away, simply toss the chopped veg into acidulated water (essentially water with a good few squeezes of lemon or lime juice or even vinegar), and this will stop it from going brown until you are ready to cook it. Here's a simple recipe for a warming and therapeutic vegan dish that combines celeriac, carrots and oranges. It's a halfway house between a comforting broth and lightly poached veg, perfect for when you need something gentle, but full of good things to battle those winter bugs, such as Vitamins C, A, a host of B  vitamins, as well as zinc. You can prepare this dish in advance and it keeps in the fridge for a few days.

 

Total Time: 55 m I Prep: 10 m I Cook: 45 m I Difficulty: Easy

 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized celeriac, cut into large chunks
• 2 large carrots, cut into large chunks
• 1 medium sized onion, finely diced
• 1 large orange, sliced into rounds
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 bay leaf (optional)
• Pinch sea salt & pepper to taste
• A few springs of parsley, chopped

 

Method:

• In a large bowl, toss the celeriac with the juice of half a lemon.
• Slowly heat a saucepan to medium heat and add the olive oil, allow the oil to heat before adding your  onions and carrots. Slowly cook the onions and carrots on a medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes until the onions are translucent and the carrots begin to soften.
• Add the celeriac, remaining lemon juice, orange and bay leaves. Cover the veg with hot water and bring to boil.
• Reduce the heat to medium low and cook covered for 35-40 minutes. Your dish is done when the carrot and celeriac are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• To serve, add a few spoonfuls of the cooking liquid to a warmed bowl before adding the veg. Garnish with chopped parsley for extra Vitamin C boost.

Pure comfort!