We barbecue all year round like eejits and when our butcher Tom (O’Toole’s in Glasthule) produced these fabulous pork chops we were powerless to resist – complete with crackling and everything!
Jono mixed together some coarse chopped rosemary from our balcony, a big fat garlic clove and plenty of salt and pepper. He pounded and ground this for a few minutes and then added enough olive oil to make a paste to smear on the chops – you want the mixture to stick on the chops so go easy on the oil.
While Jono barbecued the chops outside I made this tasty remoulade. Celeriac remoulade is in lots of my Mum’s old cookbooks from the seventies and it looks a bit like creamy coleslaw – this is Nigel Slater’s much lighter and fresher take on the whole thing (Tender Vol 1). Makes heaps for a side dish which means you can take some to work for lunch too.
Celeriac Remoulade
- juice of half a lemon
- about 500g of celeriac
- a raw beetroot – medium size
- 4 heaped tbsp creme fraiche
- 2 tsp grainy mustard
- olive or walnut oil
- a small handful of parsley leaves
- enough walnut halves to sprinkle over the top
- Put the lemon juice in a big mixing bowl.
- Peel the celeriac and grate it coarsely – we used the Magimix which grated it quite fine and it worked well.
- Toss the grated celeriac with the lemon juice in the bowl to stop it from turning brown.
- Grate the beetroot (also best done in the processor to avoid purple hands) and to the celeriac but don’t mix it in yet.
- Mix the creme fraiche, mustard and some seasoning in a bowl. Gently mix in enough oil to make a coating consistency (2-3 tbsps).
- Roughly chop the parsley and add to the sauce before folding it gently into the vegetables, don’t mix too hard or it will all turn very pink.
- Toast the walnuts lightly in a non-stick pan and scatter them over the salad.
Tip: Don’t make this on a first date as you’ll have mucky hands and faces by the time you’ve finished sucking the bones – delicious!
Julie
