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A few years ago, my recipe tester Hannah rang me to rave about a celeriac and lentil gratin she’d made from Jenny Chandler’s book Pulse. I made it, then Hugh, my husband, made it, and then the friends we’d cooked it for also made it. Conclusion: people love it. Staring at a gnarly celeriac, some tins of tomatoes and lentils, plus a couple of handfuls of cashews, you’d never imagine they’d create something so moreish. But that’s the strength of great knowhow (Jenny’s) and the transformative power of time and heat on even the most simple of ingredients.
Jenny’s celeriac and lentil gratin
The original recipe is vegetarian and uses double cream and cheese, but I’ve used a homemade cashew cream, which you’ll need a blender for. The nutritional yeast, which is there in lieu of the cheese, adds a fantastic cheesy flavour and is available in most UK supermarkets.
Prep 15 min
Cook 1 hr 20 min
Serves 4-6
65g roasted and unsalted cashews
150ml whole oat milk
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 large brown onion, peeled and finely diced
6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
800g tinned chopped tomatoes (ie, 2 x 400g tins)
1 medium celeriac (850g-1kg), peeled, quartered and finely sliced
Fine sea salt
800g tinned brown lentils in water (ie, 2 x 400g tins), drained
15g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Juice and finely grated zest of ½ lemon
100g dried breadcrumbs
20g nutritional yeast
First make the cashew cream. Put the cashews in a heatproof bowl, cover with just-boiled water, leave to soak for five minutes, then drain. Tip the nuts into a blender, add the oat milk and two tablespoons of oil, and blitz to a smooth cream – it should be the consistency of double cream, so if need be, add a little more milk to loosen.
Put four tablespoons of oil in a large, wide pan for which you have a lid, and set it over a medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and fry, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until soft and starting to turn golden. Add two-thirds of the garlic (save the rest for later) and saute for another two minutes.
Stir in the chopped tomatoes, then add the celeriac and a teaspoon and a half of salt, cover and leave to simmer on a low to medium heat for 25 minutes. Stir in all but four tablespoons of the cashew cream, leave to bubble for another five minutes, then take off the heat.
While the celeriac is cooking, heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Tip the drained lentils into a medium bowl and add two tablespoons of oil, the remaining four tablespoons of cashew cream, the chopped parsley, the lemon juice and zest, and a half-teaspoon of salt, mix well and set aside.
In a small bowl, mix the dried breadcrumbs with the reserved minced garlic and the yeast, add a big pinch of salt, then stir in two tablespoons of oil.
Taste both the celeriac and the lentils to test for seasoning, and adjust if required. Line the base of a large, shallow ovenproof dish with a third of the celeriac mixture, then top with half the lentils. Lay another third of the celeriac on top, spoon on the remaining lentils and finish with the last third of the celeriac. Evenly sprinkle the breadcrumb mix all over the top, then bake for 30 minutes. Take out of the oven, leave to rest and settle for five to 10 minutes, then serve.
