ELEANOR MAIDMENT'S CELERIAC & LEEK VICHYSSOISE: low-carb, high fibre, easy, vegetarian wi. vegan option

Like Vichyssoise, only much lower in carbs...

Comfort food par excellence: thick, fabulously tasty, satisfying soup of leek and celeriac AND with less than half the carbs of Leek & Potato 

One of the Blogger's favourite soups - before weight and health concerns - was the rich, thick, creamy potato and leek soup (Vichyssoise), traditionally cold but also eaten hot.

It's been off the 67 menu for years...though remembered with fondness.

So it was a delight to find this recipe for a leek and celeriac version from Eleanor Maidment, recently published in the Sunday Mail's You magazine.

Celeriac - the 'Ugly' root veg - has half the carbs of potatoes and is seen by the weight conscious as a great substitute for potato.   67 has been experimenting with celeriac in recent times in soups, as mash or fries.  

The recipes prove Celeriac is not an inferior version of potatoes; it has an appeal all its own. It has a nutty, celery-like flavour that's both subtle and powerful enough to wake up the tastebuds.

Eleanor Maidment's recipe is a winner; 67goingon50 made only a few minor changes to reduce fat and allow for a vegan option.

Cost: £2.50'ish

Makes: 5 large bowls

Ingreds:

25gm/just under an oz of dairy or plant butter

1 tbsp olive, or other vegetable, oil

500gm/17.5oz white of leeks, halved vertically, cut in chunks, washed well & drained

300g/10.5oz peeled celeriac, in smallish cubes

1 litre chicken or veg stock

squeeze lemon or lime juice

4 tb double cream (opt)

Garnish

Crispy fried leek leaves

Plain fat-free plant or dairy yoghurt

Method:

1. Heat a large lidded pan with oil & butter on med heat; add leeks; cover; cook 6-8 mins stirring  occasionally until soft
2. Add celeriac; cover; cook a further 10 mins, stirring now and again
3. Add stock; bring to a boil; cover; simmer 8 mins or until the celeriac is easily pierced with a fork
4. Cool 5 mins; add lemon juice; process until smooth
5. Tip back into pot; add cream if using
6. Serve piping hot, garnish with crispy leeks or trails of yoghurt

Crispy leek garnish

1. If you have the green leaves of the leeks, cut off a 5cm piece at the tender end; slice in fine strips
2. Heat 1-2 tbsp olive oil over med heat; add leek strips
3. Fry 5-6 mins, watching closely to prevent burning until crisp
4. Drain on kitchen paper; add salt 

Comments:

'I was blown away with the flavour and texture of this soup; it was blissfully  comforting and satisfying.  Best of all, it tastes delicious all on its own; carnivores probably won't need - or want- their own garnishes.'  Retired writer 

Tips: 

When buying leeks, remember that the dark green leaves are tough and normally used for stock.  Some supermarkets sell the white part of the leek only.  If buying un-trimmed leeks, double the amount stated in the recipe and freeze the green bits for stock.  

Celeriac Notes

Not cheap but not outrageously expensive either, a 20oz/3/4 kilo celeriac  cost about £3.00.  It keeps well in the bottom of the fridge for a few weeks.  It is delicious in salads & soups and is often substituted for potatoes in stews, mash or fries.  

Newer celeriac can be peeled with a peeler but others need a knife to remove the tough outer covering.  Take a big slice off the gnarly bottom so the celeriac is stable. Run the knife in thin slices between the peel and the celeriac, as if you were preparing a pineapple. 

 

The recipe has been adapted by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  

(NEW) PLUM, NECTARINE & BRANDY TART, WITH CANDIED GINGER, vegan-option, wallet-friendly'ish, fresh fruit, versatile

Don't forget to have a look at Welcome to the blog (nav bar, above)

for the latest 67 'finds' in the supermarkets 

Fit for a special occasion...or just a bang-up Sunday lunch

A fresh fruit tart with brandy & ginger syrup that's a magnificent mouthful,
here with drizzle icing but could come with toasted flaked almonds or ice cream 

'Sensational!' 'The brandy was just right' not too much and not too little.' Tasters

This gorgeous French-style fruit tart is easier than it looks.  And, with both ripen-at-home plums and nectarines currently on special offers, it needn't cost the earth.

The plum & nectarine tart looks gloriously autumnal and was perfect for a late garden party.  It went down a storm.  

It's pretty simple to put together, whether you make your own pastry or buy an all-butter supermarket version, and you can always ask the kids or a guest to help cut and lay out the fruit.

67 didn't have the time to make pastry but if time had been available would have thrown together Candice Brown's Easy-Peasy Special Occasion Sweet Pastry. 

Instead, M&S' all-butter puff pastry was used (£2./25 for 320gms) mainly because it doesn't have to be defrosted and came in just the right size ...roughly 10 x 12 inches.  Waitrose's frozen all-butter pastry (which 67 has used before quite happily) is cheaper at £2 and comes in two 200gm sheets but does need planning.  For vegans, butter free puff pastry is readily available.

67 liked the combination of plums and nectarines because they provide a lovely colour palette but you can certainly have all plums or all nectarines if you'd like.  

67's plums were not as sweet as they could be.  Ice cream would have been the perfect accompaniment but white drizzled icing also did the trick and looked rather sophisticated.

Cost: £5.50 (2021), if buying pastry, less if you make your own

Makes: 20 squares for a crowd; 6-8 portions for a family

Ingredients:

A sheet of unbaked puff pastry 10" x 12"

5 decent-sized plums

3nectarines

2 tablespoons brandy (opt; replace with grape juice)

3 tablespoons ground almonds or breadcrumbs

scant 1/4 cup soft brown or white sugar

2 to 3 tablespoons juice from a jar of ginger in syrup

3 to 4 balls of ginger

Garnish with either:

Ice Cream

icing of drizzling consistency 

OR toasted flaked almonds

Method:

Start a couple of hours before baking

1. Cut plums in half vertically, remove stone; cut each half into eight wedges
2. Cut nectarines in half vertically, remove stone; cut each half into eight wedges
3. Place each in a separate bowl and drizzle with brandy; stir gently; leave at least an hour
4. Roll out the pastry on the paper provided; refrigerate until ready to use.
5. When ready to prepare for baking, preheat oven to 200C/400F
6. Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper or a silicone mat; place in oven to pre-heat; a hot pan will encourage pastry bottom to crisp up nicely
7. Take pastry out of fridge; leaving a thin border cover the centre lightly with ground almonds/breadcrumbs to soak up any juices from the fruit (preventing a soggy bottom!)
8. Drain fruit, keeping plums and nectarines separate; dab with paper towels to remove excess moisture
9. Using a pattern of two plum slices and one nectarine slice, cover the pastry in four vertical lines; as evenly as possible, lightly sprinkle sugar over the fruit
10. Bake in centre of oven 40 to 45 minutes, turning the tray once; watch that the fruit doesn't blacken on the edges.
11. Chop ginger balls finel, keeping pieces as separate as possible  
12. Remove tart from oven and place on a cooling rack 
13. Brush fruit immediately with ginger syrup and scatter over pieces of ginger
14. Gently slide tart from pan to cooling rack; unless serving warm with ice cream, cool completely 
15. For a crowd, cut each vertical strip into 5 pieces; place each piece in a flattened muffin case for ease of access

Plum Nectarine Tart Slices for a Garden Party
(with (Not Giant) Spicy Crescent Cookies)

16.  For a lunch or dinner, cut into 6-8 portions

17.  Serve with icing sugar drizzle, ice cream or toasted almonds

COMMENTS:

'Wow!  Really sensational; the flavours were so unexpected but in all the right ways.'

'I really liked the dessert; the brandy was just right - not too much and not too little.' Garden party guests

Please leave a Comment in the box below

This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.      

OATMEAL DATE & ORANGE BARS, Healthier Indulgence, Egg-free, Wheat-free option

A blast from the past

Oatmeal, Date & Orange Bars lol in
'These were very popular with our volunteers.  They were just the right side of sweet.  A superior flapjack!' Political Agent

These oatmeal and date bars were a favourite in school lunch boxes in Canada.  Because they're so easy to make and so good for you, they would follow kids through university, into early adulthood and eventually to parenthood.  

They're probably a bit unfashionable now but oats themselves have been labelled a wonder food, helping to lower cholesterol and maintain fibre levels. 

That said, the Oatmeal, Date & Orange Bars are an indulgence - dried fruit packs in a lot of sugar.  They do, though, give a good energy boost after intense physical activity.  Keep portions small; 67 got 32 portions (4 horizontal rows x 8 vertical rows) out of an 8x12 inch (20x30cm) tin.   

The bars will keep in an air-tight container for a week but frankly eating them on the day they are baked is an experience not to be missed. 

Cost: £3.50
Feeds: 24-32

Ingred: (67 used English cup measures)
  10.5-12oz/300-340g pitted dates, chopped coarsely
   1 c water, incl juice of 1 orange 

   1 tsp vanilla 
   2 tbsp - 1/3 cup sugar (opt)
   
   zest med orange

   1 1/2 cup rolled oats or Uber Granola
   1 1/2 cups plain flour (sifted); wheat or spelt is fine
   1/4 tsp salt
   3/4 tsp baking soda
   2/3-1 cup light brown sugar

   5 3/4 oz/165g butter, softened or vegan alternative

Method:

1. Pour boiling water over dates to remove preservatives; leave for 2 mins; drain
2. If necessary, remove pips and the tough stalk
3. Bring dates, water, orange juice, vanilla & sugar if using to the boil; turn down heat; simmer until mix is thick, gloopy and the dates have nearly broken down (maybe 10-15 mins, depending on how 'dry' the original dates are).  This step can be done a day in advance.