Celery root and haloumi bake

Welcome to To Vegetables, With Love, a celebration of a vegetable life, less ordinary.

My book Tenderheart is available from Books are Magic, Kitchen, Arts and Letters, Book Larder, Bold Fork Books and also here or here.

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Celery root, or celeriac as I’ve always called it, is perhaps not the vegetable you reach for when you visit your supermarket. Like other winter root vegetables, it comes with plenty of attitude. It’s gnarly, with tangled roots and a heavy bulbous body. It is assertive in its flavor too, with fresh celery notes but sweeter, nuttier, richer. When we lived in London, I always made celeriac soup for Christmas lunch - it was the perfect starter, velvety and light, yet rich with complex flavours, priming tastebuds for the meal ahead. Celeriac is also perfect in salads. When roasted, it becomes creamy on the inside while the exterior develops golden, crispy edges. A few years ago, in their book FLAVOUR, Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage popularised celeriac steaks (inspired by an actual meat steak enjoyed by Ixta) - their meaty celeriac steaks were drizzled with a luxurious Café de Paris sauce. Of course, celeriac can be eaten raw, the most famous dish being celeriac remoulade, with thin slivers of crunchy, nutty flesh swathed in a lively and creamy dressing.

With its knobbly skin and mottled roots, many people will wonder how to prepare a celeriac. It can be peeled just like other root vegetables - with a peeler or with a knife, using long, curved downward strokes. With the roots, just slice these off just like you do with the skin, until you get to the smooth flesh underneath.

Last week, I taped something REALLY fun! It airs Weds 17 January!

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COOK / EAT / SHARE

I’ll be watching the Australian Open, and the long awaited comeback of Naomi Osaka (I’m crossing everything that she remains fit) while nibbling on this easy and fun dish of roasted grapes and feta. Slather onto bread or crackers and snacks-for-dinner is done.

I’m craving this tom yum soup with tofu and vermicelli (gift link). I made it for my daughter who asked for it one day recently and she said it more than satisfied her craving. I also recommend this vegetarian chilli (made with canned beans, of course) which is partway between a thick soup and a saucy stew. If you have frozen dumplings in the freezer, make this unique stir-fry.

Cooking from Tenderheart: I was given a heap of vegan kimchi recently so I’ll also be making the caramelized Brussels sprouts and kimchi with rice cakes from Tenderheart. There’s also been a lot of love for the mushroom and potato chowder which is weeknight winner. And when in doubt, opt for the crispy potato tacos. If you’re in NYC, Archestratus is having a Tenderheart cookbook club potluck gathering on 1 Feb - it's free to attend but register here and bring a dish from the book.

And if you’re in NYC and looking for a reliable veg eat, check out a list of my favourite vegetarian dishes in the city which I shared with my friend

Khushbu Shah

for her newsletter Tap is Fine! (which is an awesome newsletter dedicated to restaurant recommendations around the world) - note, this is not a comprehensive list, just a snapshot ;)

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THIS WEEK’S RECIPE

One-dish celery root and haloumi bake

© Hetty Lui McKinnon for To Vegetables, With Love

Knobby celery root, or celeriac, is one of the unsung heroes of Winter eating. It offers one of the most uniquely earthy yet savory flavors in the vegetable kingdom, concurrently bold and punchy yet also sweet and mild. It can be eaten raw, as it is in the famed celery root remoulade, or mashed like potatoes and also makes a wonderfully creamy soup. When roasted at high heat, it comes golden and smoky, with a smooth, creamy flesh. This simple one-dish bake is as simple as it is tasty - pantry tomatoes and garlic create a quick pool for which the celery root and salty haloumi to bathe in. I like to stand the celery root slightly upright on an angle, so the tops stay out of the sauce, allowing them to become golden and a little crispy. Peel the celery root only when you are ready to add them to the sauce as they will oxidize and turn brown very quickly. If you want to prep in advance, you can soak them in some acidulated water (water with lemon juice or vinegar added) until you are ready to use. Serve with bread to mop up the sauce.

Serves 4

extra virgin olive oil
1 can (14.5 ounce / 411g) diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp harissa paste (or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes mixed with 1 teaspoon smoked paprika)
sea salt and black pepper
1 large (about 1kg / 2.2 pounds) celery root (celeriac)
½ pound block (225g) haloumi (or grilling cheese)
handful dill or parsley

Preheat oven to 450˚F (230˚C).

In a large baking dish (I used an oval dish that is about 12 inches long), drizzle with olive oil and then add the tomatoes, garlic, harissa, and season with 1 teaspoon of salt and a few turns of black pepper. Stir to combine.

Place the celery root onto a cutting board and using a sharp knife, remove the skin and knobby exterior. Slice the celery root in half lengthways down the middle (so you’ll get half- moon shapes when sliced) and then cut into ½ inch slices.

Cut the haloumi into ¼ inch slices – you’ll want to have roughly the same number of slices as your celery root (ideal, but not mandatory).

Fan the celery root slices out in the tomato sauce, sitting them on an angle and slightly upright, so the top pokes out from the sauce. Insert a piece of haloumi between each celery root slice. Drizzle generously with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper and bake for 45 minutes, or until the celery root is tender and golden. You can test if the celery root is done by inserting a fork or skewer – if it goes in easily, it’s ready.

Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. To serve, top with dill or parsley.

Celeriachalloumibake

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🥦 My cookbook, Tenderheart is for cooking vegetables, all year round. Pick up your copy here. It is also mostly vegan (or vegan-izable) and gluten-free adaptable.