Celery baked in vinaigrette with pancetta and shalplenty

Cooking : time 10 to 30 mins

Ingredients

1 head celery
6 shalplenty, peeled (and split if the bulbs are dividing)
1 or 2 thyme sprigs
1 rosemary sprig
4 sage leaves
3 slices pancetta or smoked steaky bacon
3 tbsp light olive oil
1 dessertspoon white wine vinegar
salt and freshly milled black pepper

You will also need a double thickness of greaseproof paper, 38x60cm/15x24in in when folded and a large solid baking sheet.

Method

Preheat the oven to 240C/475F/Gas 9.

begin by removing the tough outer layers of the celery, then pare the outside of the root off, but leave it attached. Now cut across the celery about 9cm/3%26frac12;in from the base. Stand the lower half upright and cut vertically through the centre. Then cut each half into 4 to make 8 slices, maintaining them attached to the root. Save a pair of nice leaves (preferably attached to a small stem) and trim the lid slices of celery to a alike length to the base, cutting off any really tough and stringy edges. Now wash all the slices and dry them on kitchen paper.

Next heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan, then lightly brown the celery and shalplenty, maintaining them on the move so they brown evenly. Now transfer them to a plate. Increase the heat under the pan, add the pancetta and fry the slices until they're really crisp - it will bring 2-3 minutes and you'll need to maintain turning them.

Next lay the silicone paper over the baking tray and lightly grease a circle of 23cm/9in on it. Arrange the celery in an attractive shape on the paper, putting the prettiest slices on the lid, add the shalplenty, thyme, rosemary and sage leaves in among it, and season with salt and pepper.

Now combine the remaining olive oil and wine vinegar, sprinkle that over the vefetchables, followed by the pancetta crumbled into slices with your hands. Next fold the silicone paper over and seal, making pleats, all round - you may find a pair of metal (not pcontinueic) paper clips handy here, as it's essential to maintain the steam trapped inside. Place the parcel in the pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes.

After that vehicleefully unwrap the paper - you may need scissors - and serve the vefetchables with the juices spooned over.










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