In Good Taste #42: Spiced Carrot & Celeriac Kraut
An easy tasty things to do with carrots whilst you wait for summer veg to show up; birthday week pots; upcoming events
Well, hello there! How are you?
Good I hope. Thank you so much for being here.
(Not up for the chitchat? Completely get it. Click the email title to go to a web-based version then jump straight to the recipe, or Cultural Fun.)
Apart from a sprained ankle, sustained during a deeply inelegant tumble whilst hurrying down the steep side of Harringay station bridge, I am well. More than well actually. I am feeling very jolly.
It’s my birthday and I am having a lovely day. A lovely week in fact - I always insist on a “birthday week” - doing a fortuitously-timed pottery course with Jess Jos at Stepney City Farm. This is the third course I’ve done with Jess - and the second “Improvers Intensive”. I’m still a member at Turning Earth Tottenham where I make stuff at my own pace for a few hours every week and get graaaaadually more confident, but having a good teacher every now and again makes a world of difference.
And Jess is a great teacher. Lots of people who have hard-to-acquire physical skills, whether that’s pottery or dancing or juggling or whatever, are unable to explain what it is they’re doing as they’re so good at it that it’s instinctive. Jess is good not only at explaining what she’s doing (which part of the hand to use, where to put pressure on the clay) but at watching class attendees at the wheel and suggesting tiny improvements.
I’ve come on in leaps and bounds over the last four days and succeeded in my goal of making a teapot! Two teapots in fact. Plus some plates which I’ve also never thrown successfully and a couple of vases.
Perhaps more important, I also scrapped even more things: loads of mugs I made on the first day plus some wonkier plates. It was mainly because there wasn’t time to trim everything but I didn’t feel too sad about it as I know I can make more. Better ones too. That really feels like progress. Also I saw some goats. A good day.
Private Classes
Last week I did an event for someone else’s birthday: a private fermentation workshop for 12 followed by canapés. Great fun.
If you have a birthday, hen-do or other event coming up and would like to do something hands-on and a little bit different then get in touch. I also do corporate and community classes.
Upcoming Events
Seasonal Fermentation Course at Home Farm House, Oxfordshire
June 7th/June 28th
Pick vegetables straight from the field and transform them into flavour-packed, gut-friendly food and drinks. These are going to be a really special full-day events in beautiful surroundings. Get 20% off with the code IGT20.
Summer Supper Clubs at Lizzy’s On The Green
June 22nd/July 20th
Tickets will go on sale next week for these dinners on Newington Green. A selection of small and sharing plates served (hopefully!) in the sunshine. Mark your diaries now!
Summer Fermentation Masterclass at the Garden Museum, Vauxhall
28th July
It’s always fun to teach in the museum’s learning kitchen. This class is sold out but you can join the waitlist or I’ll be doing a winter version one later in the year.
Fermentation Workshop at The Dusty Knuckle Bakery School, Dalston
15th May/21st May/19th June
Tickets currently available for all these classes but they sell out quick so book if you want to come. I teach pasta classes at TDK too which are also a lot of fun. Tickets for both are available here.
The Art of Fermentation at the Great Exhibition Road Festival, South Kensington
15th June/16th June
After a fantastic evening teaching 120 people how to make sauerkraut at November’s Imperial Lates event, I’m delighted to have been asked back by Imperial College. This time I’ll be part of the Great Exhibition Road Festival, a free two-day event run by Imperial in conjunction with the museums of South Kensington. Catch me at 5pm each day in the Future Food Zone.
Recipe: Spiced Carrot & Celeriac Kraut
You’l need a scrupulously clean jar. This made a 1l jar for me. Scale up or down as appropriate.
Ingredients
400g (approx) carrot, peeled and grated
400g (approx) celeriac, peeled and grated
400g (approx) white cabbage, shredded (keep the cores)
1⁄2 inch ginger, finely chopped or grated
3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp mustard seeds
flaky sea salt
Method
Put the veg, ginger, garlic and spices in a large bowl and weight it all. Calculate 2.5% if this weight and add this much salt. Toss to disperse the salt evenly through the veg and leave for 30 mins or so.
There should be a small puddle of brine at the bottom of the bowl. Pack the veg into your jar, tamping everything down well to remove as much air as possible. Pour over the brine.
Add a pickle weight or use the cabbage cores to keep all the veg submerged under the brine. Seal the jar.
Leave at room temperature, burping and tasting every few days, until your desired degree of tartness is reached then transfer to the fridge.
Notes (If Ifs And Ands Were Pots And Pans…)
When I first tasted this I thought I’d added too many spices. It was a bit overwhelming and slightly medicinal. But it mellowed after a couple of weeks and was really delicious.
Having said that, the ground spice does soak up liquid so it has quite a dry finish. You might want to add a tiny splash of brine as fermentation progresses if you want to keep things “juicy”.
This would be a good candidate for turning into fritters.
Cultural Fun
No cultural fun this week as I am running late to put on some clothes that aren’t covered in clay and get taken out for dinner. But I have a bumper issue for you next week…
Bye! See you soon!
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In Good Taste is a Sycamore Smyth newsletter by me, Clare Heal.
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