Celeriac & Swede Croquettes – ready to bake

Every week we get overly excited at the prospect of what we’ll find in our OrganicLea veggie box. Last week it included a gigantic swede and a small but beautiful celeriac. These croquettes, inspired by a recipe in the OrganicLea newsletter, were such a hit with our veggie and gluten-free friends that we promised to post the recipe. The recipe can be easily adapted – you could use potatoes, carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, basically any root vegetable.

You need:

1 Swede, peeled and chopped into chunks
1 Celeriac, peeled and chopped into chunks
1 Onion, finely chopped
2 Cloves of garlic, sliced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tsp ground cumin
1 Tsp ground coriander
2 Tsp mustard seeds
1 Tsp ground ginger
1 Tsp turmeric
A sprinkle of Turkish chilli flakes
Juice of 1 lime
A handful of chopped fresh coriander
A handful of (gluten-free) breadcrumbs
More breadcrumbs or coarse polenta to coat
Salt & pepper

Method:

Heat the oven to 180C / Gas 4.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the swede and celeriac. Cover and simmer until the veg is soft and mashable, about 15/20 minutes.

Meanwhile, fry the chopped onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add the spices – cumin, coriander, mustard seeds, ginger, turmeric, chilli flakes plus salt and pepper. Cook for a few more minutes. The amount of spice you use depends on the size of your swede.

Drain and mash the swede and celeriac. Thoroughly mix in the onions.

Mix the herbs into the mash

Season with salt and pepper and the lime juice. Fold in the chopped coriander and breadcrumbs until the mixture will form balls.

Roll a tablespoon of the mixture into balls, it helps if your hands are wet.

Pour the remaining breadcrumbs or polenta onto a plate and roll the balls in them to coat. Flatten them into croquettes.

Roll into croquettes

To cook, oil a baking tray, bake until crisp for about 20 – 30 minutes.

The finished product – oven baked croquettes

Delicious for lunch with a salad or as a starter, serve with a dollop of yoghurt, chilli salsa or fruity chutney.

*Submitting this seasonal post to Simple & In Season