With a hesitant spring only just plucking up the courage to politely nudge its way past a stubborn and bad-tempered winter, the veg on offer at my local farmers market in North London is still mostly limited to the root variety, alongside some handsome looking cabbages and brassicas, with some polytunnel leaves thrown in as a welcome garnish. Some promising looking purple sprouting broccoli hinted that spring really is about to arrive, and even tempted me into buying a bag to accompany the planned evening's meal of Sirloin Steak with Bearnaise Sauce and Saute Potatoes.
I’m sure the broccoli would have been lovely but, alas, due to a mishap with my bearnaise sauce, the veg became the innocent victim of an extended period in the steamer, while I repaired the bearnaise. The result was that the broccoli was a watery, over-cooked mess when it came to be served, which even the newly rejuvenated bearnaise couldn’t disguise. But that’s another story, and one which has the following lesson: unless you’re really good at making bearnaise sauce from a sabayon base, it’s a good idea to make it before starting the rest of the dish.
Also on the market veg stall were some appealingly gnarly looking celeriac which proved rather more successful than the purple sprouting broccoli. I have tried celeriac in mash, purees, and soups, but I think it really comes into its own when served raw in the classic celeriac remoulade - celeri en rémoulade - if you are of a French persuasion – especially when served alongside a cured ham such as parma, bayonne, or san daniele. It is a simple and quietly elegant dish of finely shredded celeriac root in a mustard-mayonnaise dressing, further pepped up by little flavour hand grenades of cornichons or capers, or both.
Celeri en Rémoulade is a French staple and the version below is broadly based around Rick Stein’s in his French Odyssey, a copy of which my parents in law have at their house in the Limousin, and which is where I first made the dish a few summers ago. However, as I don't own a copy of the book myself, the version below is from memory with a few additions of my own having read around the subject.
This is a simple dish and, as with all simple dishes, the quality of the ingredients are what lifts it from an average dish to a great one. If you use supermarket pre-cut ham, brined capers, jar bought mayo, and inferior anchovies, it’s not going to be the dish it could or should be.
Celeriac Rémoulade with San Daniele Ham
Serves 2
1 small head of celeriac, or half a larger one
6-8 slices of cured ham such as bayonne, san daniele or parma
1 tbsp salted capers, prepared (see note)
4-6 tbs, heaped, freshly made mayonnaise
4 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
1-1 ½ tbsp Dijon mustard
A squeeze of lemon juice
Parsley to garnish
Method
For the rémoulade sauce: spoon the mayonnaise into a mixing bowl, add the chopped anchovy fillets, lemon juice and mustard, and mix well. Check for seasoning. The sauce should be lively and rather spikey. Add more mustard, lemon, black pepper, and/or anchovy if it needs it.
Peel and finely shred the celeriac. You can either practice your knife skills and shred it by hand, or else use a food processor. At my parents-in-law I do it by hand (they don’t have a food processor) and at home with a machine (I do). Put the shredded celeriac into a bowl and mix in enough of the mustardy-mayo to dress generously (you may not need all of the dressing). Celeriac discolours quite quickly once peeled so dress without delay. The remoulade can be made in advance (even the previous day) and benefits from having some time to marinate, covered, in the fridge.
To serve. Mound the remoulade in the middle of each plate, and arrange the ham in wavy folds around the edge of each pile. I think of it as a island of celeriac in the midst of a sea of cured ham, but maybe that’s just me. Then sprinkle over the capers and a little chopped parsley to poshen things up.
Notes
- The above quantities are for two but with a big celeriac, and the other elements bumped up accordingly, a single head should feed 6 or more
- the version in Rick Stein’s French book calls for Bayonne ham but there’s no reason not to use other varieties. I have a fine local Italian deli which sells very nice San Daniele ham, so I used that instead. Parma or any other good prosciutto would be nice too. There’s no reason not to use Serrano either, although somehow the dish feels more French or Italian, than it does Spanish. Whichever ham you use, make sure it is at room temperature before serving.
- Capers: use the best salted ones you can find. Soak in cold water for 30 minutes, drain, and give them a gentle squeeze in your hand. Taste one – it should still be salty but not unpleasantly so. Soak in water for longer if necessary.
- the remoulade also goes well with cold meats, smoked fish, or as part of a spread of salads.
I’m sure the broccoli would have been lovely but, alas, due to a mishap with my bearnaise sauce, the veg became the innocent victim of an extended period in the steamer, while I repaired the bearnaise. The result was that the broccoli was a watery, over-cooked mess when it came to be served, which even the newly rejuvenated bearnaise couldn’t disguise. But that’s another story, and one which has the following lesson: unless you’re really good at making bearnaise sauce from a sabayon base, it’s a good idea to make it before starting the rest of the dish.
Also on the market veg stall were some appealingly gnarly looking celeriac which proved rather more successful than the purple sprouting broccoli. I have tried celeriac in mash, purees, and soups, but I think it really comes into its own when served raw in the classic celeriac remoulade - celeri en rémoulade - if you are of a French persuasion – especially when served alongside a cured ham such as parma, bayonne, or san daniele. It is a simple and quietly elegant dish of finely shredded celeriac root in a mustard-mayonnaise dressing, further pepped up by little flavour hand grenades of cornichons or capers, or both.
Celeri en Rémoulade is a French staple and the version below is broadly based around Rick Stein’s in his French Odyssey, a copy of which my parents in law have at their house in the Limousin, and which is where I first made the dish a few summers ago. However, as I don't own a copy of the book myself, the version below is from memory with a few additions of my own having read around the subject.
This is a simple dish and, as with all simple dishes, the quality of the ingredients are what lifts it from an average dish to a great one. If you use supermarket pre-cut ham, brined capers, jar bought mayo, and inferior anchovies, it’s not going to be the dish it could or should be.
Celeriac Rémoulade with San Daniele Ham
Serves 2
1 small head of celeriac, or half a larger one
6-8 slices of cured ham such as bayonne, san daniele or parma
1 tbsp salted capers, prepared (see note)
4-6 tbs, heaped, freshly made mayonnaise
4 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
1-1 ½ tbsp Dijon mustard
A squeeze of lemon juice
Parsley to garnish
Method
For the rémoulade sauce: spoon the mayonnaise into a mixing bowl, add the chopped anchovy fillets, lemon juice and mustard, and mix well. Check for seasoning. The sauce should be lively and rather spikey. Add more mustard, lemon, black pepper, and/or anchovy if it needs it.
Peel and finely shred the celeriac. You can either practice your knife skills and shred it by hand, or else use a food processor. At my parents-in-law I do it by hand (they don’t have a food processor) and at home with a machine (I do). Put the shredded celeriac into a bowl and mix in enough of the mustardy-mayo to dress generously (you may not need all of the dressing). Celeriac discolours quite quickly once peeled so dress without delay. The remoulade can be made in advance (even the previous day) and benefits from having some time to marinate, covered, in the fridge.
To serve. Mound the remoulade in the middle of each plate, and arrange the ham in wavy folds around the edge of each pile. I think of it as a island of celeriac in the midst of a sea of cured ham, but maybe that’s just me. Then sprinkle over the capers and a little chopped parsley to poshen things up.
Notes
- The above quantities are for two but with a big celeriac, and the other elements bumped up accordingly, a single head should feed 6 or more
- the version in Rick Stein’s French book calls for Bayonne ham but there’s no reason not to use other varieties. I have a fine local Italian deli which sells very nice San Daniele ham, so I used that instead. Parma or any other good prosciutto would be nice too. There’s no reason not to use Serrano either, although somehow the dish feels more French or Italian, than it does Spanish. Whichever ham you use, make sure it is at room temperature before serving.
- Capers: use the best salted ones you can find. Soak in cold water for 30 minutes, drain, and give them a gentle squeeze in your hand. Taste one – it should still be salty but not unpleasantly so. Soak in water for longer if necessary.
- the remoulade also goes well with cold meats, smoked fish, or as part of a spread of salads.
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