
We’re revisiting an old, forgotten friend today – celeriac! It’s one of those vegetables that’s easy to forget about and I’ve shared just 2 celeriac recipes on the blog until now.
My Simple Celeriac Soup is a lovely, mild-tasting recipe that goes down well with everyone. My Celeriac, Pear & Rocket Salad is a little more quirky and more suited to those into bold/punchy flavours.
Today’s recipe features celeriac the way I cook it most often – roasted.
Roasting a pan of root vegetables is definitely one of my favourite ways to start a meal. I’m clearly a fan of veggies almost any which way but have found that when feeding slightly more veg-sceptical people, roasting is definitely the way forwards!
Celeriac has a nutty, sweet taste that just gets accentuated with a stint in the oven. Adding sweet potatoes to the mix softens the flavour too.
To turn my roasted celeriac & sweet potato into a complete meal, I served them over quinoa infused with saffron to give it a hint of something extra and topped it all with a good drizzle of herby dressing.
I’m pretty smitten with this herby sauce/dressing. I adore using fresh herbs in my cooking but very rarely manage to use them all up before they start to get rather sad looking. This recipe is a fantastic way to use up any of those herbs in the fridge that are on on their last legs.
I like a mix of parsley and coriander (cilantro) best – convenient as those are probably the herbs I use most. Feel free to use your favourite leafy herbs though. Dill, basil, mint and tarragon are other great options. I would advice against using woody herbs like rosemary or thyme.
Just blend up those herbs with some lime or lemon, garlic, a little spice, salt and olive oil to make a sauce that’s good on greens, grains, beans…anything which could do with a bit of jazzing up.
I finished this dish with some fresh rocket and a handful of toasted almonds. Again, it’s super versatile so use what you have to hand. If you want to bulk it up even more, how about adding some toasted chickpeas or mixing lentils in with the quinoa?
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Large Sweet Potato, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
- 1 Large head of Celeriac, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
- Salt & pepper
- 1/2 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Shallot
- 1 C Quinoa (well-rinsed)
- 2 C Vegetable broth
- 1/4 tsp Saffron
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 C Loosely packed fresh herbs (I like a mix of parsley & coriander)
- 2 Tbsp Lime OR Lemon juice
- 1 tsp Ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp Smoked paprika
- 1 Small clove of garlic
- 1/4 C Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- Rocket (optional)
- Toasted, flaked almonds (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190C/375F.
- In a large roasting pan, toss the sweet potato and celeriac with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Roast for 25-30 minutes, until tender and golden brown at the edges.
- Meanwhile, cook the quinoa. In a medium-size pot, cook the shallot in the olive oil for a few minutes, until softened. Add the quinoa, vegetable broth and saffron, cover and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and leave to simmer for 15 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed. Leave covered for 10 minutes then fluff with a fork.
- For the herby drizzle, blend all ingredients until smooth. I love my Tribest personal blender for small amounts like this. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- To serve, place a handful of rocket in each bowl, then add a scoop of quinoa. Top with roasted celeriac and sweet potato and a generous drizzle of the herby dressing/sauce.
- Finish with toasted almonds if desired.
This is a nice healthy one to enjoy over the next couple of days, especially if you’re predicting an indulgent Easter weekend!
I’m heading back to my family home for the next few days and looking forward to a little break from the busy-ness of London, some country air and family time. It’s my birthday on Friday too so I get to enjoy birthday and Easter celebrations all at once!
Wishing you all a lovely holiday!
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