I was talking to someone from the Americas the other day who said he pitied me for living in a country with such poor ingredients. I was delighted to enlighten him about our amazing native fruit and veg, not only in summer, but in winter, too. Celeriac is just one example: it has all the nutty flavour of celery with the natural sweetness that comes from a root vegetable. It is wonderful braised in milk, much as the Italians cook pork, which highlights that sweetness; it’s a delicious partner to baked gammon, sausages or a simple fried flat fish. I also adore leeks, which have some of the characteristics that make onions so tasty but are just a little more robust and savoury: they make a great building block for fried rice, particularly when seasoned with good pancetta.
Celeriac in milk
The secret here is to brown the celeriac and butter well – this brings out the nuttiness of both, which then melts into the sauce. Yummy.
30g butter
A splash of oil
1 whole celeriac (about 1.25 kg), peeled and cut into eight pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 peeled garlic cloves
½ bunch sage leaves
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary
2 strips of lemon peel
300ml milk
Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6. Melt the butter and oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and, once hot, brown the celeriac on all sides (you may have to do this in batches). The butter will turn dark brown: this will produce a delicious nutty flavour.
Transfer the celeriac to an oven dish in which the pieces will fit snugly, and season generously. Return the frying pan with the butter to a low heat and gently fry the garlic for three minutes, until light golden. Add the sage leaves, cook for a couple of seconds, then tip the lot over the celeriac.
Add the bay, rosemary and lemon peel to the celeriac dish, then pour over the milk (you may need more or less, depending on the size of your dish: you want enough to come halfway up the celeriac pieces). Bake for 40 minutes, turning the celeriac every 10 minutes, until the milk has caramelised and reduced slightly and the celeriac is soft. Serve with cooked ham or chicken with the sauce spooned over.
Pancetta, leek and fennel fried rice
The secret to good fried rice is to use cooked rice that has been completely cooled before frying, so boil some rice the night before, or at least a few hours ahead, and leave in a sieve to cool. This is an incredibly satisfying dish that I like to serve with some wilted greens on the side, perhaps flavoured with garlic, ginger and soy or oyster sauce. Use white rice for a more refined but less flavourful version.
300g brown rice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
120g pancetta (or streaky bacon)
1 medium leek, trimmed
2 fat cloves garlic
5 tbsp vegetable oil
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and finely chopped
1 tbsp manzanilla or other sherry
150ml chicken stock
2 eggs, beaten
2 sticks celery, cut into 0.5cm slices
1 handful coriander leaves, roughly chopped
Cover the rice in plenty of cold water, season with several pinches of salt and bring to a boil. Simmer gently for about 30 minutes, until tender, but still with a little bite. Drain and leave to cool (if you are in a hurry, spread out across a clean tray to cool more quickly).
Cut the pancetta into 0.5cm dice. Cut the trimmed leek in half lengthways, wash it well under the cold tap and cut into 1cm slices. Mince the garlic with a pinch of salt.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok over a medium-high heat, then add the pancetta and cook, stirring, for about five minutes, until the fat has been released and the bacon is cooked. Transfer to a large bowl with a slotted spoon and add the leek and fennel to the wok. Turn the heat up high and cook the vegetables for about five minutes, until soft. Pour in the sherry and stock, bring to a simmer, then tip the lot into the bacon bowl.
Add the rest of the oil to the wok, turn down the heat a fraction, so that it is medium high, and fry the garlic for a few minutes, until it smells fragrant, but not so much that it’s starting to brown. Add the beaten egg to the wok and cook for a minute or two, until it looks as if it is beginning to set, then tip in the rice and stir-fry until it’s piping hot and sizzling in the pan.
Return the contents of the bacon bowl to the pan, add the celery and coriander, and stir to heat through. Serve at once with soy sauce or chilli oil, if you like, although it is delicious just as it is.
And for the rest of the week…
I love leeks in a quiche. Make a classic béchamel and stir in three large, sautéed leeks. Cook in a baked shortcrust pastry case, topped with a sauce of beaten egg yolks, cream and a good grating of gruyère and parmesan; or mix with blue cheese and toasted walnut pieces. Celeriac is lovely raw: peel and slice very thinly, then mix with a creamy, Dijon-rich dressing and lots of chopped parsley – that makes a fine winter salad. Or try with a sharper vinaigrette, orange slices and wafer-thin red onions. Cooked, it’s hard to beat in a mash: steam until tender with equal quantities of potato, and sieve with butter for a truly memorable puree. Leftover pancetta is wonderful fried crisp and sprinkled on a thick puree of Jerusalem artichoke.
Thomasina Miers is co-owner of the Wahaca group of Mexican restaurants. Her latest book, Chilli Notes, is published by Hodder & Stoughton at £25. To order a copy for £20, go to bookshop.theguardian.com
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