Celeriac: possibly the ugliest vegetable around but so much goodness and a guilt-free substitute for potatoes. |
So feeling
slightly guilty after my Easter roast the other day, I’m starting the Meatless
Monday movement from today. First one up is a guilt-free version of an English
shepherd’s pie, the vegetarian version of course. Just replace the beef mince with
goodness of three types of beans (red beans, chick peas and lentils – or any
types of beans you fancy). And instead of a potato mash, I chose celeriac (celery
root) which is currently in season. It is most definitely the butt-ugliest
vegetable around. But don’t be scared to experiment with it! As I just found
out it has less than half the calories and a third of carbohydrate content than potatoes. Even
more guilt-free!
Three-bean Shepherd’s Pie with Baked Celeriac
Mash
Serves 4-6 people, with plenty of leftovers
Ingredients
Filling:
(the main ingredients – feel free to change or
omit ingredients)
1 can red beans
1 can chick peas
1 cup dry lentils
1 large bowl of water
1 carrot, cubed into
small pieces
1 zucchini, cubed into
small pieces
3 garlic cloves,
crushed
2 onions, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato
paste
1 tablespoon balsamic
vinegar
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
500mL (2 cups) vegetable
stock
Olive oil for frying
Celeriac mash
4 large celeriac,
trimmed, peeled and chopped into large chunks
1 tablespoon (about
50-60 g) butter, chopped
125mL (1/2 cup) milk
1 cup grated
Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan cheese)
Salt and pepper to
taste
1 teaspoon garlic
powder, optional
Method
Filling. Soak the lentils in a large bowl of water,
leave soaking for about 30 minutes while you cut up all the vegetables.
Mash. Place chopped and peeled celeriac in a
large pot of water. Bring water to boil and leave cooking for 20 minutes.
Filling. Drain lentils. In a large pan heat up a glug
of olive oil. Over medium heat, brown onions and garlic for a few minutes. Add
in carrot, zucchini, lentils, red beans, chickpeas, thyme, oregano, balsamic
vinegar and tomato paste. Continue frying for a few minutes. Mix in the flour,
this will thicken the sauce a bit. Pour in the vegetable stock, bring to boil
while continuing stirring, then bring the heat down to simmer.
Mash. After 20 minutes the celeriac will become softer. Drain and put back in the pot. Add butter, milk, cheese and
garlic powder if using. Season with salt and pepper. Mash the celeriac using a hand masher. Don't overmash because you want the top of the pie to be firm.
In baking tray or pyrex glass tray start assembling the pie. Place the
filling on the bottom (about half of the tray’s depth). Top with celeriac mash.
Use a fork to fluff up the mash layer. Bake in the oven on 200 degrees C, for 20
minutes or until the celeriac layer turns golden and crispy. Serve immediately.
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