A useful side dish when you have neither enough root veg nor enough of your chosen grain to go round. Also a sneaky way of swapping some carbs for some veg.

More or less any root veg, roasted & pureed, will work (squash, pumpkin, carrot) – all parsnip may be a little sweet but could work as a mix with other veg.

The grain needs to have a reasonable bite so I’d stick to either pearl barley, or its usually-quicker-cooking doppelganger farro, or brown rice. I think bulgur wheat or smaller grains would make for a slightly too wet mix.

Keep the cheese dry to avoid a greasy dish – pecorino, parmesan or manchego should work. Or a salty ricotta if you can find one.

Finally, if sticking with the celeriac original, drizzle with truffle oil for an indulgent flourish.

Serves 2 as a side dish

Ingredients

1	Celeriac	150	grams	Or other root veg
2	Pearl Barley	80	grams	Or Farro (tends to cook faster)
3	Milk	50	millilitres
4	Pecorino	20	grams	Or other strong dry cheese finely grated
5	Thyme	1	teaspoon	Or sage
6	Truffle Oil	1	teaspoon	Optional

 

Main Equipment

1. Stick Blender
2. Fine Grater
3. Oven-proof dish (around 20cm diameter or so that the mixuture sits about a thumb’s depth)

Method

1. Peel and cut the celeriac into equal sized chunks and either boil or roast until soft. If roasting, keep the chunks a bit on the bigger side and roast in a medium oven (170-180 degrees) – you don’t want too much of a crispy outer layer else they won’t mash well. A light spray or drizzle of olive oil is all they need. Boiling will probably take 15-20 minutes and roasting 30-40 minutes, depending on size. If you are boiling, given that it will all be mashed, you might as well go for small (2cm) chunks to expedite the process.
2. Meanwhile, rinse the pearl barley, place in a pan of boiling water and boil until just the firm side of cooked – it will soften a little more when baked in the oven.
3. Once the celeriac is cooked, add the milk and blend to a smooth mash. If you are only doing a small quantity you’ll want to use a stick blender, for bigger batches a food processor will work. You could get the celeriac to this stage & then cool before freezing, to save time with future meals or simply to avoid a half-mouldy celeriac making its way to the bin. See thoughts on cooking the whole thing to avoid more-difficult-to-cook veg going to waste.
4. Season the mash to taste – just salt & pepper or add in a fitting herb. Thyme goes well with the celeriac or alternatively sage – although beware using large pieces of sage, it isn’t going to get much cooking from here and raw sage is not pleasant.
5. Drain the pearl barley and rinse with boiling water if it has any foamy scum on it (ew). Allow to steam for a minute to ensure it is fully drained, don’t want too much water in the bake.
6. Mix the mash & pearly barely together.
7. Lightly grease an oven proof dish or spray with a little oil. Add the mixture  in an even layer.
8. Finely grate a thin layer of cheese over the top – using a strong cheese means a little goes a long way, flavour wise. If you are feeling indulgent, drizzle with a little truffle oil. Truffle & celeriac are like peas in a pod in my view.
9. Bake in a hot oven (200-220 degress) for about 10-15 minutes, just to crisp the top.

It is possible to freeze this one -cool and wrap the whole thing, dish and all, in cling film before freezing. That way you can defrost in a cold oven while you are out & leave the timer on for ready-made dinner on your return.