Serves: 4
Ingredients
- —- For the filling —-
- 1 Celery heart, washed and cut into 4 pieces
- 200 g Cream cheese
- 2 Cloves of garlic, crushed
- Small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 4 Portions of baby leaf salad
- —- For the Tempura batter —-
- 150 g Plain flour
- 200 ml Sparkling water
- —- For the Vinaigrette dressing —-
- 3-6 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tsp French mustard
- 1 tbsp Vinegar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Blanch the celery pieces in boiling water for about 3-4 min. Drain and dry well with kitchen towel.
-
Mix together the cream cheese, garlic and parsley. Either place in a piping bag and pipe into groove of the celery, or fill the celery using a broad knife.
- To make the tempura batter, whisk the water and flour together into a light batter, about the consistency of double cream.
-
Fill a saucepan with vegetable oil to 4cm deep and heat to about 170C/340F.
-
Using tongs pick up the celery a piece at a time. Dip into the batter, shake off the surplus and gently lower into the hot fat. Cook on a gentle heat so they don’t colour too quickly, and cook right through (about 6-8 minutes); they should be a pale yellow colour. When they are done, remove from the pan and place on kitchen towel to drain off excess oil.
- Whisk the vinaigrette ingredients together. Serve the celery tempura with the salad and dressing.
Tip:
To check the oil has reached the right temperature, drop in a little of the batter. If it sinks and then rises back to the surface, the oil is ready.
Alternatives:
Use a good quality herb & garlic cream cheese instead of the cheese, garlic and parsley.
