Celeriac with Tomato Sauce (Celeri Rave A La Sauce Tomate) Recipe
Celeriac with Tomato Sauce (Celeri Rave A La Sauce Tomate) Recipes
Ingredients :
2 heads of celeriac, total weight about 900g
(2 lb)
5ml (1 tsp) lemon juice
50g (2 oz) brown or white breadcrumbs
50g (2 oz) parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Tomato Sauce -
60ml (4 tbsp) olive oil
1 large onion, skinned and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
350g (12 oz) ripe tomatoes, skinned and
finely chopped
15ml (1 tbsp) tomato puree
30ml (2 tbsp) red wine or red wine vinegar
60ml (4 tbsp) chopped fresh parsley
5 ml (1 tsp) ground cinnamon
1 bay leaf
salt and freshly milled black pepper
Method :
To make the tomato sauce, heat the oil in
a heavy-based saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and fry gently for
about 10 minutes until very soft and lightly colored. Add the tomatoes,
tomato puree, wine, parsley, cinnamon, bay leaf and seasoning to taste.
Add 450ml (3/4 pint) hot water and bring
to the boil, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up the tomatoes.
Lower the heat, cover and simmer the tomato sauce for 30 minutes,
stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, peel the celeriac, then cut
into chunky pieces in a bowl of water to which the lemon juice has been
added, to prevent discoloration. Drain the celeriac, then plunge quickly
into a large pan of boiling salted water. Return to the boil and blanch
for 10 minutes. Drain the celeriac well, then put into a large gratin
dish. Pour over the tomato sauce (discarding the bay leaf) and sprinkle
the breadcrumbs and cheese evenly over the top.
Bake at 190C (375F) mark 5 for 30 minutes,
or until the celeriac is tender when pierced with a skewer and the
topping is golden brown. Serve hot, straight from the dish.
Serves 4-6
When in good condition, celeriac should be
firm and heavy for its size. If light in weight, the flesh will be airy
and spongy.
