Celeriac is not available in all supermarkets and yes it is an ugly looking vegetables. Luckily I am too much of a curious cook to not dismiss something based on looks.
You can say it is the unsung hero of the vegetable world, knobbly and odd shaped. It has a celery flavour with a hint of lemon and is nutty. I came across celeriac when we were living in Budapest and during winter there was an abundance of this. Again another very versatile vegetable – try it roasted or in soups and it will be easy to see why it is popular. You can mix it in with potato to make a mash or on its own make a velvety, creamy puree to go with your seafood.
INGREDIENTS
450 grams celeriac
150 grams parsnip
½ cup freekah boiled in water and drained
1 egg
2 heaped tablespoons rice flour
75ml cream
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Vegetable oil for shallow frying
Salt and pepper
METHOD
Using a paring knife, peel the celeriac. Cut into four pieces and using the coarsest side of a box grater, grate it all. Peel and grate the parsnip. Mix the vegetables with the boiled, drained and cooled freekah.
In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg. Add the cream and melted butter, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. Mix in the rice flour and pour this mixture into the celeriac, parsnip and freekah mixture. Use your fingers and mix well. Allow to rest for ten minutes.
Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a fry pan. When hot, make a ball in your hand and use the palm of the other hand to shape the celeriac mixture to form a thin patty. Gently slide into the hot oil. Don’t worry if they are slightly misshapen as you can use a spoon to get the latke together. Repeat but do not over crowd the pan. Fry on one side till golden brown (about five minutes) and then using two spatulas, turn the latkes over. Fry for a further 3-4 minutes. Drain on kitchen paper. Repeat with the remaining mixture. You should get about 16-18 latkes. Serve hot with the salad and tahini dressing.
ITALIAN PARSLEY, MINT AND COS LETTUCE SALAD
INGREDIENTS
1 cup Italian Parsley leaves only
1 cup mint leaves only
8-10 baby Cos lettuce leaves
METHOD
Thoroughly wash and dry all the leaves. Cut the Cos lettuce leaves into bite sized pieces. Mix together all the leaves in a bowl.
TAHINI, YOGHURT DRESSING
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons tahini
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
150 grams of Greek yoghurt or light sour cream
2-3 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
1 tablespoon liquid honey
Salt and pepper
METHOD
Place the garlic and lemon juice in a small food processor bowl. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients. Blitz until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning.