Celeriac & Chard Enchilada

WITH GREEN CASHEW TOMATILLO SALSA

by Thomasina Miers | photos by Tara Fisher

I love anything steeped in a citrusy, fresh tomatillo sauce. There is something deeply mouthwatering about this combination of the tangy sauce and the earthy flavor of corn. SERVES 4

Ingredients

• 5 Tablespoons olive oil • 1 ¼ pounds (600 grams) celeriac (celery root), peeled and cut into ¾-inch ( 2 centimeter) cubes • 2 teaspoons thyme leaves • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped • bunch of spring onions (scallions), finely sliced • 14 ounces (400 grams) Swiss chard, leaves separated from the stalks, washed • 12 corn tortillas • salt and pepper

For The Tomatillo Sauce

• 1 ounce (30 grams) raw cashews, soaked in • 2 1/2 fluid ounces (75 milliliters water for 1 hour or overnight • 1 ounce (30 grams) jalapeño chilies, de-stemmed and de-seeded • large handful of coriander (cilantro) leaves • 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped • 1 1/4 ounce (10 grams) ginger, peeled and roughly chopped • 4 spring onions (scallions), roughly chopped • 1 Tablespoon caster (superfine) sugar • 1 teaspoon sea salt • 12 ½ ounces (350 grams) tinned tomatillos, drained

Directions

1) Warm a large pan over a medium–high heat, then add half the oil and the celeriac. Once the celeriac is starting to color, 4 to 5 minutes, add the thyme, garlic and spring onions and season generously.

Fry for another few minutes until the garlic is fragrant, then add 3 ½ fluid ounces (100 milliliters) water. Bring to simmering point, turn down the heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes. 2) Meanwhile, slice the chard stalks into ¼-inch (5-millimiter) strips and the leaves into ribbons. Add the chard stalks to the celeriac after the 10 minutes of cooking

and cover the pan. Once the stalks are tender, stir in the leaves, adding a little more water if it looks dry. Cover and cook for 7to 9 minutes until the chard has wilted and the celeriac is soft. Check the seasoning, then remove from the heat. 3) Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C/200°C convection/gas 7. 4) Empty the cashews and their soaking liquid into a blender and blitz. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and blitz until smooth, then check the seasoning. 5) Warm the rest of the oil in a medium pan over medium heat and pour in the sauce. Fry, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes until it darkens slightly and the garlic and ginger are fragrant. Spoon a third of it into an ovenproof dish.

Now assemble the enchilada either warming and wrapping the tortillas, or simply layering up, lasagna-style.

Spoon over the rest of the sauce, cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. 6) Remove the foil and return to the oven for a final 5 to 10 minutes until lightly colored. Serve immediately with a green salad if you like.

Permission to share recipe from Thomasina Miers MeatFree Mexican from Mobius Books 2022.