Aaaaaaand it’s the weekend again at last! Hope you are doing things that make you relax and smile. I’ve had a pretty good week myself and my newly found (I’ve lost it more times than I can count) routine of yoga, meditation, running and eating mindfully has certainly played a major part in that.
Why is it that despite the fact that we all know what makes us feel good, we have such a hard time sticking to it? Surely, there should be a part of your brain that makes you crave things that do you good, right? Yes, I know, it’s all about creating new neurological pathways (which is hard work for your inherently lazy brain) and eventually turning them into long lasting habits before your brain becomes your ally in the pursuit of things that make you feel good, not in the moment, but in the long term. Well, I’m working on making these pathways… As it’s the season for all things cosy, I’ve concocted a super cosy oven bake based on a British classic – shepherd’s pie. I already have a shepherd’s pie recipe up on the blog so if you are after a traditional taste, check it out. This one is a bit different as instead of a potato mash, it is crowned with a creamy layer of celeriac mash. Being possibly the ugliest vegetable on Earth, celeriac doesn’t get much attention as it’s so easy for curvaceous, orange pumpkins to steal the show, but I don’t think that’s entirely fair as it tastes better than it looks. Once you cut through the ugly, knobbly and hairy exterior, a lots of delicious possibilities await. It may be because I grew up on it, but I am rather fond of it. My mum used to turn it into a delicious raw celeriac, apple and walnut salad that I used to enjoy but when I started cooking for myself, I discovered that celeriac is even more beautiful when baked – I find celeriac ‘chips’ dusted with smoked paprika most addictive – and that it also makes a mean mash (like in this recipe, which I love). It’s great in soups and hash browns too, which I don’t have any recipes for yet, but I am planning to rectify that at some point. In my celeriac shepherd’s pie, a silky smooth and creamy celeriac layer hides away a beautiful, umami-rich vegan ‘mince’. I packed it with deliciously savoury mushrooms, roasted walnuts, miso, mushroom stock and tomatoes and bulked it up with hearty and protein rich lentils. It’s delicious, full of texture and filling. The slight sweetness of the base complements the deeply savoury celeriac pillow above. Not only is celeriac super healthy, rich in blood and bone healthy vitamin K, it is also a great alternative to carbs. While I am a big proponent of carbs (I could live on pasta!), if you are after a low-carb alternative to mash, this recipe won’t disappoint you, promise. This dish, like most dishes of this type, requires some effort, but (unless you live with a hungry horse-type person like I do, who can demolish half a tray in one sitting), it will keep you fed and nourished for days.
1 kg / 35 oz celeriac a head of roasted garlic* 2 tbsp white miso approx. 80 ml / 1/3 cup plant milk 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or vegan butter 120 ml / ½ cup vegan cream 1/3 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, adjust to taste fine sea salt, more to taste black pepper, to taste
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*MUSHROOM STOCK – what works even nicer than a mushroom stock cube is a cup (240 ml) of porcini stock, which cane be made by soaking cleaned dry porcini mushrooms (about 12 g / 0.4 oz) in hot water for at least a hour (or several if you can). *BAKING DISH SIZE: I used a 25 cm / 10″ square baking dish, a standard rectangular lasagne dish will work just as well.
