Every ingredient has a soulmate, another ingredient in the supermarket aisles that brings out the best in it. This is certainly the case with celeriac and risotto, a combination so fierce, the chemistry is palpable.
Celeriac’s brutish, wild flavour with notes of celery, nuts and parsley is tamed in a risotto. It submits very slowly, becoming gentler, sweeter and deeply savoury. Then the celeriac mingles with the starch released from the rice to become creamy – an excellent quality in any dairy-free risotto.
Celeriac risotto with sage, caper and lemon oil
Nutritional yeast, or “nooch”, is a strange and wonderful ingredient to play around with. It tastes cheesy and nutty, and often contains vitamin B12, which can be lacking in a vegan diet. It’s available in most big supermarkets and many healthfood shops.
Prep 15 min
Cook 55 min
Serves 4
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 big Spanish onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
600g celeriac, peeled and chopped into 1.5cm dice
350g risotto rice – I use arborio
200ml dry white wine
1.25 litres vegetable stock
½ tsp salt, plus ¼ tsp extra for the sage and lemon oil
3 tbsp nutritional yeast – I like Marigold
For the oil
12 sage leaves
1 tbsp capers, well drained
1 tbsp lemon juice
Heat three tablespoons of oil in a deep-sided frying pan over a medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the onion and cook gently for 10 minutes, until soft and turning golden.
Add the garlic, and cook, stirring, for two minutes, then add the celeriac and saute for 15 minutes, until it starts to soften.
Add the rice and then the wine, and cook, stirring, until the liquid has reduced – about five minutes. Now, little by little and ladle by ladle, add the stock and cook gently, stirring every now and then, until it’s absorbed by the rice. After 15-20 minutes, the rice should start to turn creamy and the celeriac break down into a mash. Now stir in the salt and yeast, and taste to check the rice is cooked.
For the sage, caper and lemon oil, heat three tablespoons of oil in a separate small pan over a medium heat until it’s shimmering hot, then add the sage leaves and capers – stand back, because they may spit. Take off the heat, set aside for a minute to cool slightly, then stir in a tablespoon of lemon juice and a quarter-teaspoon of salt.
Spoon the risotto into bowls, then drizzle a little of the sage, caper and lemon oil over each one, and serve.
