Celeriac and red wine stew with cheddar dumplings
Celeriac is a bit of a beast to look at, but looks aren’t everything. Beneath that knobbly exterior lies creamy white flesh with a sweet, nutty, super-savoury flavour. I eat it raw, in thin shavings, in salads with a mustardy dressing, or cut into steaks brushed with herbs and griddled, and sometimes, roasted whole. Here, though, I use it as the base for a stew with some cheddar-spiked dumplings on top. Food for dark evenings with red wine. Be sure to peel your celeriac thickly to get rid of any green tinges around the edges and any left-over muddy traces.
2 HOURS | SERVES 6 8 | EASY |
olive oil for frying
red onions 2, sliced
garlic 1 head, cloves peeled but left whole
carrots 3, peeled and cut into 2cm-thick slices
celeriac 900g, peeled and chopped into 2cm pieces (set aside 100g for the dumplings)
red wine ½ bottle
vegetable stock 600ml
bay leaves 2
rosemary a few sprigs
harissa 1 heaped tbsp
white beans (I used haricot) 400g can, drained
cavolo nero 150g, de-stemmed and roughly chopped
Marmite 1 tsp
tomato purée 1 tsp
DUMPLINGS
celeriac 100g butter or vegan butter 100g, cold crumbly cheddar or vegan cheddar-style cheese 50g
self-raising flour 200g
thyme few sprigs, leaves only
egg yolk for brushing (optional)
TO SERVE
lemon-dressed greens mustard
Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Heat a glug of olive oil in a casserole over a medium-high heat. Cook the onions and garlic for 5 minutes until beginning to brown. Tip in the carrots and celeriac, and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in the wine, stock, herbs, harissa and a good pinch of salt, and put the lid on. Cook in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes.
2 Meanwhile, make the dumplings. Grate the reserved celeriac and the cold butter into a bowl, then grate or crumble in the cheese in small pieces. Add the flour and thyme leaves, then season. Pour in 2 tbsp of cold water and use your hands to bring the mixture together until a dough forms (if it feels a little dry, add a few more drops of water). Roll the dough into 12-16 balls.
3 The stew is ready when the vegetables are soft and the wine has reduced. Stir through the beans, cavolo nero, Marmite and tomato purée, and nestle the dumplings on top, brushed with a little egg yolk, if you like, leaving a little room in between for them to increase in size. Cook in the oven, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes or until browned. Serve with greens and mustard.
PER SERVING (8) 373 kcals | fat 17G saturates 8.3G | carbs 30.8G | sugars 6.7G fibre 11.8G | protein 9.5G | salt 1.2G