Baked Root Celery. Minted Pea Puree. Corn Gremolata.

Baked Root Celery-7796

A gentle vegetarian meal with a hint of sweetness. If you want more of a bite to it, add some chili flakes to the honey for the root celery. This dish has many components. Feel free to experiment with them in other recipes/combinations. The Beet Shards should be made in advance (may be kept in the freezer).

Baked Root Celery:
I slice per person
½ teaspoon honey per person
Olive oil
Salt

1. Cut the celery in 1 cm slices
2. Brush each slice with olive oil and 1/2 tsp of honey. Sprinkle with coarse salt.
3. Bake in 175C oven for 30 minutes.

Cheesy Beet Shards:
150 ml chopped pickled beets
60 gram macademia nuts, soaked overnight
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
½ tsp nutritional yeast
salt and black pepper
2 tsp flax meal (to be added after all the other ingredients are well blended into a smooth puree)
2 tsp black sesame seeds

1. Run all except flax meal and sesame seeds in blender until completely smooth
2. Add the flax meal and sesame seeds and blend just until combined
3. Pour thinly onto sheets and place in dehydrator, 45C, and dry until crisp. Probably overnight.
4. Brake into shards and keep in freezer until use.

Pea Puree with mint:
300 ml frozen peas
Water to boil in
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon vermouth
½ tablespoon of olive oil

1. Simmer the peas in water for 3 minutes
2. Run cooked peas in blender together with chopped mint leaves, vermouth, olive oil and a little (2-4 tablespoons) of the hot water
3. Add more water if needed
4. Push through a sieve (this step may be omitted if the puree is smooth enough)
5. Cool quickly as to not losing that strong, green colour

Corn Gremolata:
100 ml chopped hazelnuts
100 ml parsley
50 ml corn (canned or frozen)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoons lemon zest
salt and pepper

1. Pulse in food processor, do not puree, make sure some chunks remain.

Tomato liquid:
400 ml chopped tomatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons roughly chopped basil

1. Run all in blender until smooth. Add the basil and briefly pulse.
2. Pour into wide casserole and set in 100C oven for 30 minutes to reduce
3. Strain

Plate with the tomato liquid, a slice of root celery, the pea puree on top, gremolata, pieces of the beet shards and, maybe, some extra corn. There are some beautiful colours to play with!