Winter Root Vegetable Salad
This recipe from the Tutors at our Cookery School is a celebration of the vegetables and salad leaves from our Market Garden that offer the most flavour and texture during the colder months. The recipe uses a number of different techniques, but you can make a pared down version if you prefer, or make larger batches of things like the pickled beetroot and crisp kale, so it's easier to assemble the salad next time.
(SERVES 3-4 AS A STARTER OR 2 AS A MAIN)
1/4 celeriac, diced
milk to cover
1 tbsp butter
handful kalettes or kale
2 tbsp toasted walnuts
leaves from 1/2 head of radicchio
1/4 an apple, sliced into matchsticks
2-3 jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed
1-2 beetroots, peeled and sliced finely
150ml vinegar
150g sugar
1 star anise
extra virgin olive oil
blue cheese (optional)
Melt the butter in a lidded pan, add the diced celeriac and a pinch of salt. Cook with lid on for 10 minutes, then pour over milk to cover and simmer until fully cooked. Strain the celeriac, add to a blender and blend, adding the cooking liquid until you have a smooth, silky puree. Check for seasoning and set aside.
Place the beetroot slices into a bowl and add a little salt. Put the vinegar, sugar and star anise into a pan, bring to the boil, then pour over the sliced beetroot and leave to cool to make a quick pickle.
Tear the kalettes or kale leaves into bite-size pieces. Toss with a little oil and salt, place on a tray in a 100°C oven and cook till crisp, 20-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and keep in an airtight container.
Cut the Jerusalem artichokes into wedges, toss in a little oil and salt and roast at 180°C for 20 minutes or until tender.
To build the salad, place a spoonful of the celeriac puree on the base of your serving plate. Dress the radicchio leaves with a little beetroot pickling liquid and olive oil. Add to the plate, alternating between pieces of roasted Jerusalem artichoke, pickled beetroot, toasted walnuts, kale crisps, apple and radicchio.
Crumble over some blue cheese for extra richness, if you like.
