Fable Stew with Celeriac Puree by Heston Blumenthal

Economical and hearty, there’s no better way to see out the colder months with this meltingly tender stew

23 Nov, 2021 | Recipes | 3 comments

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Serves: 2 people
If you’re looking for a simple, meat-free stew with plenty of robust, earthy flavour, then this recipe’s for you. How does it get such depth and complexity? The secret ingredients are onions cooked with star anise, a touch of Marmite, and the addition of some seriously savoury Fable.

Ingredients

Stew:

  • 2 tsp vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, peeled and chopped into 3cm chunks
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
  • 3 whole star anise 
  • 2 celery stalks, peeled and chopped into 3cm chunks
  • carrot, peeled and chopped into 3cm chunks
  • 2-3 small potatoes
  • 250g red wine
  • 300g vegetable stock
  • 1 tsp Marmite®
  • 3 bay leaves 
  • 2 tsp cornflour mixed with 2 tsp cold water
  • 200g Fable

Celeriac puree:

  • 50g unsalted plant-based butter
  • 250g celeriac, peeled and diced
  • 200g milk of your choice
  • 6g salt

Method

  1. To prepare the stew, heat one teaspoon oil in a large pan over moderate heat. Add the onions, garlic, and star anise, cooking until the onions have softened and partially caramelised, approx. 6 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, and potatoes and cook for a further 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Pour in the wine and allow it to reduce by half, then pour in the stock, Marmite® and bay leaves. Simmer the mixture for 4-5 minutes, then stir in the cornflour mix.

  2. At the same time, heat the second teaspoon oil in a second, clean pan over high heat. Fry the Fable until coloured on all sides. Remove and place onto a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain. Add the Fable to the stew sauce and reduce the heat to low, simmering for 30-35 additional minutes. Check the vegetables (the potatoes in particular), as they should be tender.

  3. In the meantime, make the celeriac puree. Start by making a beurre noisette. Melt the butter in a small pan over moderate heat. It will start foaming, and you will soon notice that the sizzling stops, and it will begin to smell nutty as the milk solids start to brown. Remove the pan from the heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve covered with a layer of muslin. Discard the milk solids in the muslin and reserve the browned butter.

  4. Place the diced celeriac, milk, and salt into a medium pan. Partially cover with a lid and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook until the celeriac completely softens. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blitz until smooth. Whisk in the beurre noisette.

  5. Serve the stew with the celeriac puree.

3 Comments

  1. Cindy

    Made this for dinner last night (minus the celeriac puree).
    Always a bit dubious as I’ve never been a fan of mushrooms, so I wasn’t too sure what to expect with the Fable “meat”, but oh my goodness it was super delicious! I even went back for seconds! This is definitely a meal I’ll be making again! Thank you 😊

    Reply
    • Fable

      This is music to our ears! Thank you so much for giving it a go! And we’re thrilled it was worth it!

      Reply
  2. Yair

    Really delicious, had some carnivorous guests that didn’t believe it wasn’t meat. The texture is so similar – brilliant.

    Reply

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