Braised Celery, Potatoes & Leeks with Lemon, Harissa & Dill (vg)

November 1, 2017

Serves: 4 as a side or 2 as a main Prep time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes 

Ingredients: 300 waxy new potatoes 2 large leeks 4-5 sticks celery 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1 lemon

2 tbsp olive oil

50g olives, halved (optional)

250ml vegetable stock

5-6 sprigs dill, stalks removed & roughly chopped

1/2 tsp nutmeg 

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 

1/2 tsp smoked paprika 

2 tsp fennel seeds (optional)

Method:

• Wash the potatoes and celery. Chop the potatoes into quarters, about an inch in size, and the celery into small sticks roughly 5 cm long. 

• Clean the leeks by stripping the outer layers off and placing them upside down in a tall measuring jug full of water. Leave for 5 minutes or so and the leeks should clean themselves via capillary action. Chop into rounds 2-3cm thick.

• Cut half of the lemon into thick slices, and the squeeze the juice from the other half.

• Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a large heavy based dish on a medium high heat. Add the chopped potatoes, celery, leeks, garlic & lemon slices to the pan and toss to coat. Cook for approx. 5 minutes until the leeks begin to soften and take on some colour.

• Add the fennel seeds, spices, harissa paste, olives, lemon juice & vegetable stock to the pan. Season with salt & pepper. Simmer over a medium-low heat for a further 15 minutes or so until the leeks are soft and tender and the potatoes are cooked through.

• Add the chopped dill to the pan and mix thoroughly before serving. Enjoy as a hearty side dish or light main. Delicious with a dollop of Greek yoghurt and crusty bread for dipping!