Our cookbook of the week is Ottolenghi Flavor by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage. Over the next three days, we’ll feature more recipes from the book and an interview with the authors.
Gnarled and pale, celeriac probably isn’t high on your list of snack foods. Before making the whole-roasted celery root in Yotam Ottolenghi and Ramael Scully’s Nopi: The Cookbook (2015), I had never considered eating the bulbous vegetable as a stand-alone dish. But with a squeeze of lemon, sprinkling of salt and crème fraîche on the side for dipping, that’s exactly what I did.
Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage take the celeriac appreciation a step further in Ottolenghi Flavor , offering three variations on the unassuming vegetable: celery root steaks with Café de Paris sauce; cabbage “tacos” with celery root and date barbecue sauce; and the following roasted and pickled celery root with sweet chili dressing.
“Celery root is a forgotten or not very highly esteemed vegetable, and we think it’s got so much potential,” says Ottolenghi. “And the initial cooking method couldn’t be any simpler.”
After rubbing the root with a mixture of olive oil and salt, it’s hands-off for nearly three hours as it slow roasts. Here, it’s then finished with an array of aromatic garnishes: pickled celery root, sweet chili dressing, sliced green onions and fresh Thai basil.
“It’s really the best example of how versatile celeriac is,” adds Ottolenghi. “Because it’s both slow-roasted and pickled, and together it makes such a complex and interesting experience.”
ROASTED AND PICKLED CELERY ROOT WITH SWEET CHILI DRESSING
Pickled celery root:
1 medium celery root, trimmed, peeled and cut into thin 2 1/2-inch (6 cm) -long batons (4 cups/500 g)
3 celery stalks, cut into thin 2 1/2-inch (6 cm) -long batons (1 cup/120 g)
2 garlic cloves, skin on, crushed with the side of a knife
3 limes: finely shave the peel to get 6 strips, then juice to get 1/4 cup (60 mL)
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp (150 mL) rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp flaked sea salt
Sweet chili dressing:
1/2 cup (120 mL) sunflower oil
5 garlic cloves, very finely sliced
3 red chilies, finely sliced into rounds (1/3 cup/30 g)
2 whole star anise
4 1/2 tsp white or black sesame seeds, or a mixture of both, well toasted
7 1/2 tsp maple syrup
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 cup (60 mL) soy sauce
2 tbsp finely chopped chives
1 Whole Roasted Celery Root (recipe follows), cut into 8 wedges
Flaked sea salt
2 green onions, finely sliced at an angle
1/4 cup (5 g) Thai basil leaves
Step 1
For the pickled celery root: In a large bowl, combine the celery root batons, celery, garlic, lime peel, lime juice, vinegar and salt and set aside for 2 hours, stirring now and then.
Step 2
For the dressing: Heat the sunflower oil in a small saucepan on medium-high heat. Once very hot, add the garlic, chilies and star anise and fry for 2–2 1/2 minutes, stirring to separate the garlic slices, until the garlic is crisp and pale golden (it will continue to colour after you take it out of the oil, so don’t take it too far). Strain through a sieve set on top of a small heatproof bowl to collect the oil. Set the fried chili and garlic aside. Remove 1/3 cup (80 mL) of the aromatic oil and reserve for another recipe. Combine 7 1/2 tsp of the remaining aromatic oil with the sesame seeds, maple syrup, vinegar, soy sauce and chives and stir to mix.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 425°F (200°C fan). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 4
Place the roasted celery root wedges on the prepared baking sheet, cut-side up. Make sure they’ve been brushed with their cooking oil and caramel (if not, brush with some olive oil and a little maple syrup or honey; see below). Roast for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Step 5
Arrange the wedges on a large platter and sprinkle with a little salt.
Step 6
Add the reserved fried chili and garlic to the dressing and spoon over and around the celery root. Top with 1 1/3 cups (200 g) of the pickled celery root mixture (avoiding the pickling liquid). Garnish with the green onions and Thai basil and serve immediately.
Serves: two as a main or four as a side
WHOLE ROASTED CELERY ROOT
1 large celery root, hairy roots discarded (no need to peel) and scrubbed clean (2 lb/900 g)
1/4 cup (60 mL) olive oil
1 1/2 tsp flaked sea salt
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375°F (170°C fan). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2
Pierce the celery root with a fork all over about 40 times and place on the prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil and salt, then rub the celery root generously with the oil mixture. Roast for a minimum of 2 1/4 hours, or up to 2 3/4 hours, depending on the size of your celery root, basting with oil every 20 minutes or so, until the celery root is deeply browned, soft all the way through and oozes a celery root caramel.
Step 3
Let rest for 15 minutes, then cut into eight wedges, brushing each cut side with the oil and caramel left on the baking sheet (you may need to add a little more oil if there isn’t enough to coat the cut sides).
Recipes and image excerpted from Ottolenghi Flavor by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage. Text copyright © 2020 Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage. Photographs copyright © 2020 by Jonathan Lovekin, except page 211 © 2020 by Louise Hagger. Illustrations copyright © 2020 by Nishant Choksi. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2020
