Herbaceous

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And now for something completely different - shawarma made from celery roots!

Please do not expect this to be an exact replica of meat-based shawarma. However, this is a really fun recipe, and it is really delicious and flavourful. Adapted from Goodful.

Ingredients:

3 celery roots
2 tbsp canola oil
3 tbsp red wine vinegar

Spice mix:
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1-1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
4 tsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp cumin
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp coriander
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp tumeric
4 tsp kosher salt

Glaze:
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp spice mix

Equipment: rotisserie or vertical spit. If you don’t have a vertical spit, you could try making one with a couple of wooden skewers anchored into a cut potato, but I claim no responsibility if it doesn’t work.

Method:

Peel your celery roots, and using a mandoline, CAREFULLY slice them 1/16 inch thick. Mix all the spice mix ingredients together in a small bowl. Put the sliced celery roots into a bowl, and then add the 2 tbsp canola oil, 3 tbsp red wine vinegar, and 2 tbsp of spice mix. Mix until the slices are coated with the oil and spices (this is kinda a pain - using your hands works best).

Get your rotisserie or vertical spit, and stab each piece of celery root onto it. You can sorta stagger them so they will get nicely browned, and so it looks more like meat. Once you’ve stabbed all your roots, cover it in foil and put it in the oven at 325 degrees for 50-60 min. If you’re using a rotisserie, same idea - 325 for 50-60 min.

Make your glaze by mixing the 2 tbsp red wine vinegar and canola oil, brown sugar, and 1 tbsp spice mix. Remove foil from shawarma, brush with glaze, and return to oven for 10 min. Glaze again, then return to oven for another 10 min. Then remove from oven, crank heat to 450 degrees, return to oven for 2-3 min, rotate pan, and cook 2-3 more min. Follow the same method if you are using a rotisserie, although you may not need the final high heat stage of cooking if the outside is already nice and caramelized.

Serve the shawarma however you like to eat shawarma - we like it in pitas with tzatziki, tomatoes, pickles, pickled turnips, and some parsley.

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This is astonishing. I seriously looked at the picture, trying to figure out where the celery root was...I figured it must have been lamb on the skewer, and there was a celery root puree somewhere serving as a sort of hummus. That's a heck of a char, which combined with the seasoning makes it look like meat. It's also impressive that it's simple, and the ingredients are commonly available (except for the celery root).
 
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