With more than 2,000 varieties of apples grown in the UK, I love discovering and eating one I’ve not had before. For all the range in flavour and texture, however, it’s the good old granny smith I often turn to when cooking. It’s just the right amount of tart and sweet to work as well in savoury cooking as it does in sweet. Its firm texture means that it keeps its shape when cooked, or sliced raw, which also really helps.
Roast celeriac and pepper skewers with apple and miso glaze (pictured top)
If the weather allows, these are as brilliant cooked on a barbecue as they are under the grill. If you want to get ahead, cook and skewer the celeriac the day before, so it’s ready for the grill. You will need eight, 10cm-long wooden skewers.
Prep 10 min
Cook 2 hr 20 min
Cool 40 min
Serves 4
8 thyme sprigs
4 rosemary sprigs
1 medium celeriac, peeled (500g)
3 tbsp olive oil
3 romano peppers (375g), cut in half lengthways, stems, pith and seeds removed
1 tbsp lemon juice
For the rosemary salt
1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary leaves
¼ tsp flaked sea salt
For the glaze
200ml apple juice
150ml double cream
1 tbsp white miso paste
Fine sea salt and black pepper
Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Put half the thyme and rosemary sprigs in the centre of a large square of foil, put the celeriac on top and rub all over with a tablespoon of oil and a half-teaspoon of fine salt. Put the remaining herb sprigs on top, then wrap in the foil to encase completely, place on a large oven tray and roast for 40 minutes. Carefully open up the foil to expose the celeriac and roast for another 40 minutes, until a knife goes through it easily, then leave to cool for about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut the pepper halves into 3cm squares, put these in a large bowl with a tablespoon of oil, a tablespoon of lemon juice and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt, then toss to coat and leave to marinate.
Next, make the rosemary salt. Put the chopped rosemary on a small tray and toast in the oven for three minutes, until crisp. Remove and leave to cool completely, then grind in a mortar until almost fine. Add the flaked salt and gently grind again to combine.
Put all the ingredients for the glaze in a medium saucepan, bring to a simmer, then turn down the heat and simmer gently, whisking often, for 17-20 minutes, until nicely thickened and lightly brown. Take off the heat and set aside ready for reheating when serving.
When the celeriac is cool, cut it into eight wedges, then cut each wedge into three smaller chunks. Pick the leaves off the roast herbs, add these to the pepper bowl with the celeriac, a half-tablespoon of oil, an eighth of a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, and mix gently.
Put three pieces of celeriac on each skewer with a piece of pepper in between them, making sure there’s a small gap between them.
Put a large griddle pan on a high heat and brush with the remaining half-tablespoon of oil. Once hot, place half the skewers in the pan and grill for three minutes on each side, until nicely charred. Transfer to a platter and repeat with the remaining skewers. Meanwhile, gently reheat the glaze.
Spoon the warm glaze over the skewers, so they’re nicely coated and serve with a sprinkling of the rosemary salt.
Potato, apple and gruyere pie
The combination of potato and cheese makes this a really rich pie, so it needs little more than a green salad alongside; it also works well as a side dish for a roast dinner.
Prep 40 min
Cook 2 hr
Serves 4
1 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced (320g)
Fine sea salt and black pepper
35ml brandy, or calvados
25g unsalted butter, 15g at room temperature, the rest melted
600g maris piper potatoes, peeled and cut into 1mm-thick rounds (use a mandolin, if you have one)
1 tsp cornflour
1 medium granny smith apple (160g), peeled and thinly sliced (on a mandolin, ideally)
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
150g gruyere, cut into 2mm-thick slices
Put a medium frying pan on a medium-high heat, add the oil, onions and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, until deeply browned and caramelised. Pour in the brandy, stir until it’s all evaporated, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan as you go, then scrape into a bowl and leave to cool for 15 minutes.
Heat the oven to 195C (175C fan)/340F/gas 3½, and use some of the room temperature butter to grease a high-sided 20cm, ovenproof saute pan for which you have a lid. Put 150g of the potatoes in a medium bowl with the cornflour and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt, and toss to coat. Arrange the coated potatoes evenly in the base of the pan and 2cm up the sides.
Put the rest of the sliced potatoes in the now empty bowl, add the apple, thyme, melted butter, a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, and toss to combine. Evenly layer a third of this mixture in the pan, followed by a third of the onions and then a third of the cheese, and press down gently. Repeat the layers twice more, until everything is used up.
Put the pan on a medium-high heat on the hob for eight minutes, then cover with the lid (or wrap tightly with foil) and put in the oven for 40 minutes. Take off the lid, cook for 10 minutes more, until the cheese has begun to turn golden and crisp, then take out of the oven and leave to rest for five minutes.
Put a large plate on top of the pan and, using a kitchen cloth, carefully invert and turn out the pie on to the plate, and serve warm.
Baked trout with apple and mustard slaw
The sharp granny smith is the ideal apple for this salsa, but use any you have to hand: if it’s much sweeter or sharper than a granny smith, adjust the acidity accordingly.
Prep 15 min
Marinate 30 min+
Cook 30 min
Serves 2
2 skin-on trout or salmon fillets (240g)
For the marinade
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1½ tsp light soy sauce
1½ tsp runny honey
¼ tsp chilli flakes
40g mayonnaise (shop-bought)
½ tsp balsamic vinegar
For the slaw
1 granny smith apple, peeled and julienned (115g)
1 shallot, peeled and julienned (35g)
1 fresh jalapeño chilli, stem, pith and seeds removed, flesh julienned
2 tsp lime juice (ie, from 1 lime)
2 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
1 tbsp coriander leaves, roughly chopped
Fine sea salt and black pepper
First, make the marinade. Mix the dijon, soy, honey, chilli flakes and a quarter-teaspoon of salt in a small bowl. Put the trout on a lined tray, rub a tablespoon of the marinade on the flesh side of each fillet, then leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour.
Meanwhile, mix the remaining marinade with the mayonnaise, balsamic vinegar and eighth of a teaspoon of salt, then refrigerate.
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Turn the fish over so the fillets are now skin side up, roast for nine minutes, then take out of the oven and leave to cool for five minutes.
While the fish is cooling, put all the ingredients for the slaw in a small bowl with an eighth of a teaspoon of salt and a good crack of pepper, and toss well.
Put one fish fillet on each plate and spoon a tablespoon of the mayonnaise on top. Serve with the slaw divided equally between the two plates and with the rest of the mayo alongside.
