Fri, 10 December 2021
Martin O’Donnell has two recipes that go hand in hand together
Roast Celeriac and Pancetta Soup with crumbled chestnuts & Buttermilk and Cheese Scones
RECIPE 1:
Roast Celeriac and Pancetta Soup with crumbled chestnuts
Ingredients:
100g sliced pancetta
small knob butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
large bunch thyme, leaves picked and set aside
1 organic celeriac, roasted whole in tinfoil
850ml fresh chicken stock
100ml double cream
1 vacuum pack cooked chestnuts
Good quality olive oil or rapessed oil
Method:
1. Take a whole celeriac, drizzle with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Wrap in 2 layers of tinfoil and wrap tight, before placing into the oven to roast at 190c for 1 hour until soft when pierced with a knife.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan. Sizzle the pancetta for about 3 mins on each side until crisp, then remove to a plate and set aside.
3. Melt the butter in the same pan, add the onion, bay leaf and thyme stalks, and cook for 10 mins until just starting to turn golden.
4. Add the chopped cooked celeriac and cook for 2 mins more.
5. Pour over the stock and simmer for 10 mins.
6. Stir in the cream and bring back to the boil. Fish out the bay and thyme stalks, then purée the soup until smooth.
7. Stir through half the thyme leaves and ladle the soup into bowls.
8. Serve topped with the crispy pancetta, the remaining thyme leaves and a drizzle of olive oil and crumbled chestnuts.
RECIPE 2:
Buttermilk and Cheese Scones
Ingredients:
450g Self raising flour
15g baking powder
120g butter
Pinch salt
250 ml buttermilk
Teaspoon fresh chopped tarragon
100g grated cheese
Method:
1. Sift the flour and mix with the salt and baking powder.
2. Chop the butter and rub into the flour with fingertips, little pieces is ok and add the grated cheese.
3. Add the buttermilk and mix with your hands as little as possible to keep the scones light and fluffy.
4. Then flour the table and roll the mix out of the bowl and flatten the mix to 3 - 4cm on the table.
5. Cut the scones with a cutter and don’t twist the cutter as they wont rise properly in the oven.
6. Lay onto a tray and egg wash each with a little beaten egg and bake at 190 c 10 minutes.
