Celeriac risotto with sage, caper and lemon oil
main | vegan
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.
Prep 15 min
Cook 55 min
Serves 4
Ingredients
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
1¼ litres vegetable stock
½ tsp salt, plus ¼ tsp extra for the sage and lemon oil
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
For the oil
12 sage leaves
1 tbsp capers, well drained
1 tbsp lemon juice
Method
- 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.