I am loving winter salads at the moment. Celeriac is much underused raw. It has an earthy tang that works super well with mustard flavours and salty bursts of flavour. So I bring you… Celeriac Caper and Rocket Salad.
Who said winter salad was boring?!? It’s not. It is amazing what you can do with winter vegetables and food that is preserved in salt, fermented or in tins. Caper berries preserved in brine bring this winter salad to life with salty bursts with the mustardy rocket leaves and tangy celeriac. Being able to preserve food means that we can eat with flavour all year round. Not everyone is lucky enough to live in locations where fruit and vegetables can be grown, or have a really short season.
I’m super interested in fermentation at the moment and am trying to find some time to make a plan and start some fermenting experiments. There is some interesting research regarding gut bacteria, digestion and fermented foods… I need to collate it all to understand it but essentially it seems to say that a modern diet rich in processed food reduces the amount of gut bacteria which is needed to be able to digest food properly. There seems to be a vicious circle and the less gut bacteria the less able you are to digest fermented foods… I adore fermented foods such as sauerkraut and (gluten-free, vegan) kimchi but I often struggle with them. Maybe if I start introducing them slowly and carefully…