VEGETABLES LEAF RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Once you’ve peeled the celeriac, chuck away the skin and then carry on peeling around it, giving you long ribbons. If they break every now and again it doesn’t matter. Continue until you reach the fluffy tasteless inner core, which you should throw away. Remove and discard the chunky stalks from the parsley, then finely slice the thinner stalks and roughly chop the leaves.
  2. Put your celeriac and parsley into a large bowl and mix together with all the other ingredients. Season to taste, adding a little more vinegar if need be, then serve straight away.
  3. Try this: Put some of this salad on a plate, then cover it completely with some smoked salmon and plenty of ground black pepper.
  4. Or this: Roast a nice chicken. Allow it to cool and serve with this salad.

Steps:

• 1. The other day I had a nice little roast in the oven – comfort food for a great Sunday afternoon. I had a bunch of raw beetroot to use up, so I thought it would be good to have something nice and zingy to munch on while I was waiting for the chicken to cook – like some tapas or antipasti to get my tastebuds going. You can get some great beetroots these days – fantastic colours.
  2. I took the leaves off the beetroots and threw them away, as I didn't need them for this salad (although it's worth remembering that they're edible and that they taste nicer than Swiss chard or spinach!). I washed the beetroots and then, using a speed peeler, I peeled them all down into really thin slices and flavoured them with salt, pepper, chopped flat-leaf parsley and a little grated fresh horseradish to give a nice bit of heat. Then I left them for 5 to 10 minutes so that the acid from the horseradish would soften the beetroot. The horseradish is optional, but it gives a good twang.
  3. This salad is lovely on a bit of toast, with maybe a splash of vodka or a little block of crumbled feta cheese. Really nice to pick at before you have dinner.