IN SEASON CELERIAC don’t judge by its cover
Tere’s no denying that celeriac isn’t the most attractive of vegetables, but don’t let its strange, knobbly shape deceive you. Inside that tough skin you’ll find creamy white flesh with a flavour that’s nutty and has a subtle celery taste, and it’s at its best from September through to April. Avoid choosing roots with signs of discolouration: pick celeriac that’s firm to the touch and has a good weight to it, and store it in your salad drawer. Be warned: it discolours quickly when cut, so immerse in a bowl of cold water with a little white wine vinegar or lemon juice added to keep its colour before using. Celeriac has a wealth of uses: whether mashed, slow cooked in stews, added to soups or in a classic French remoulade, it’s well worth exploring this autumn. And, if you’re looking to grow your own next year, Martyn Bragg of Shillingford Organics has some tips.
If you’re looking to grow celeriac, be warned: it takes some work. It’s a crop that doesn’t suit our dry conditions here at Shillingford, but can be grown in the South West with some love and care. It needs to be raised in a heated greenhouse early and planted out in late April so it has a really long growing season. It has to be weeded constantly and also requires regular watering, to cope with dry conditions. Celeriac would be best grown in clean, raised beds with plenty of compost.
CELERIAC KATSU CURRY WITH WILD RICE AND PICKLED CUCUMBER
An original vegan take on a Japanese classic. The pickle needs to be made at least 24 hours in advance.
SERVES 8
FOR THE PICKLE: 1 cucumber, thinly sliced 11g table salt 85ml rice vinegar 20g sugar
FOR THE CURRY SAUCE: 50ml vegetable oil 2 onions, peeled and sliced 10 cloves garlic, peeled 4 carrots, peeled and sliced 15g curry powder 3g garam masala 30g plain flour 1200ml vegetable stock 30ml soy sauce 2 bay leaves 15g caster sugar
FOR THE CELERIAC: 32 | THE WEST COUNTRY FOODLOVER
Vegan OPTION
4 heads of celeriac, peeled 200ml unsweetened almond milk 20ml lemon juice 180g plain flour 10g cornflour 5g salt
A pinch of cayenne 500g panko breadcrumbs Oil, for deep-frying
TO SERVE: Wild and basmati rice, cooked Spring onion, sliced
1 For the pickle, wash the cucumber and thinly slice. In a bowl, sprinkle the cucumber with 10g of the table salt and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Rinse and drain. Combine the vinegar, sugar and remaining salt until completely dissolved then pour over the cucumber. Refrigerate in a sealed container for at least 24 hours (up to 3 days is better).
2 For the curry sauce, heat the vegetable oil in a pan. Sweat the onion and garlic for 2 minutes before adding the sliced carrots. Stir until the vegetables are soft and starting to caramelise. Add the curry powder and garam
masala and cook for 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute more. Slowly pour in the vegetable stock, stirring as you go. Add the soy sauce and bay leaves and bring the sauce to the boil. Simmer until the sauce starts to thicken. Add the sugar then sieve.
3 For the celeriac, slice the celeriac into 1.5cm rounds. To make the batter, mix together the almond milk and lemon juice and set aside. Combine the flour, cornflour, salt and cayenne in a bowl then whisk in the almond milk mixture until a batter is formed. Heat the oil for deep-frying. Dip the celeriac slices into the batter and then into the panko breadcrumbs until fully coated. Deep fry the celeriac until the breadcrumbs are a deep golden brown and the celeriac is starting to soften but still has some bite. Season.
4 To serve, plate up some rice. Top with the crisp celeriac slices and pour over the katsu curry sauce. Garnish with chopped spring onions and pickled cucumber.
Recipe from The Canteen, Bristol for The Bristol Cook Book, published by Meze Publishing
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