Writing this blog has made me realise we eat a lot more red meat than we should! So I decided to remedy this with a vegetarian option tonight. I remember the days when celeriac was a super exotic ingredient seen only on Masterchef (usually in puréed form). These days, you can get it in almost every supermarket, and it’s in season around this time of year.
Ingredients (serves 4)
1 celeriac, peeled and chopped into small chunks
2 leeks, sliced
8 chestnut mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, very finely chopped
A couple of sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
50g butter
500ml milk
3 tbsp flour
100g grated cheddar cheese
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
1 egg, beaten with a drop of milk, to glaze
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the celeriac and leeks, stir, and cover with a lid. Leave them to saute for around 8 minutes, stirring every once in a while.
3. Add the mushrooms, thyme and garlic; stir and cover. Leave for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Add the flour to the mix and leave to cook for 1 minute. Add the milk, stirring constantly. Cover and leave to simmer over a low heat, stirring every once in a while. After around 10 minutes, test the celeriac to see if it’s soft; if not, leave the mix to cook for another few minutes until it is the texture you like.
5. Add the cheese, the mustards, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Taste and add more seasoning or mustard if you like.
6. Pour the mixture into a baking dish and place the puff pastry sheet over the mix. Trim the edges of the pastry; you can use these to make some shapes on the pastry lid, or set them aside for another purpose. Use a fork to crimp the edges of the pie, brush with your beaten egg mixture and bake for 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden and crispy.
Yvo Cooks 