To our Loyal Royals,
Whenever we think about the recipes we would like to share with you, we always come back to the questions: Will our great big Royal Family love cooking this recipe over and over again? Will they be able to make it their own? With this recipe, I think we have answered both of these questions as this vegetable gratin is so easy to adapt to suit whatever you have at home or available at your local market.
Any selection of root veggies for this gratin will work. Try whatever is in season or good value like carrots, turnips, celeriac, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, beetroot or parsnips. And if you would like to make it suitable for your vegan friends, we’ve included vegan-friendly substitutes below.
With love from the Palace,
HRH Kathleen
You will need
± 300g onions
± 250g potatoes
± 250g sweet potatoes
± 200g parsnips or celeriac*
½ jar Pesto Princess Rocket Pesto
2 Tbsp crushed garlic
50ml boiling water
250ml cream (if you are vegan, leave out the cream and just use stock instead).
1 cup grated Gruyere/Parmesan/mature cheddar (again, if you are vegan, use vegan cheese or leave out the cheese and top with flaked almonds).
Chives, fresh rocket, or flaked almonds to serve
* Whatever veggies you choose, you will need approximately 1kg and a medium-sized baking dish (20 x 30cm).
How to
1. Grease a roasting dish with oil or butter and preheat the oven to 200°C. Get a big bowl of water ready and set aside. Peel all of the vegetables and pop them into the water so that they don’t discolour.
2. Using a mandolin or very sharp knife, cut all your veggies into super thin slices and keep them in the water until you have sliced all the veggies. When you are done with the slicing, drain off the water.
3. Layer the vegetables one by one into your roasting dish or mix them all together for a more rustic look.
4. Combine the pesto, garlic and hot water and stir to loosen. If using, add the cream and mix together well before pouring over the vegetables. Season the dish with salt and a generous grind of black pepper then cover with foil and bake for about an hour. The vegetables must be soft and cooked through. Continue cooking until it has reached this stage.
5. Once the veggies are tender, remove the foil and put the oven on to grill. Top with the cheese of your choice and grill until it has melted.
6. Let the dish stand for about 15 minutes before serving so that it has a chance to thicken. Serve with fresh rocket, chopped chives or flaked almonds.
Feeds 4
Recipe and food styling by Michelle Parkin.
Michael Olivier’s Choice
Glen Carlou Unwooded Chardonnay 2015
Glen Carlou Unwooded Chardonnay 2015 is fermented in special cement, egg-shaped tanks made by Nomblot. The shape keeps the lees in suspension much longer, giving the wine more structure than most other unwooded chardonnays.
It looks like Bottled under screwcap in a Burgundy shaped, clear glass bottle. In the glass it is a pale gold wine with green flashes.
It smells like Whiffs of fynbos honey, lemony limey citrus, fresh sliced Golden Delicious apple.
It tastes like Fresh, ripe white-fleshed peach. Wet river stones with notes of white flowers. Nice and fresh, full palate, lovely harmony of all the elements.
