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Apollonia Poilâne's Winter Vegetable Crumble

by:
February 18, 2021
0
0 Ratings
Photo by Philippe Vaurès Santamaria
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 1 hour 22 minutes
  • Serves 4 as a main course, 6 as a side
Author Notes

Citrus-flecked bread crumbs lighten up this combination of parsnips, turnips, beets, and fennel. I especially like the crumble with bread crumbs made from our sourdough. The crumble will be prettier if you dice the vegetables, but you can just chop them if you’re in a hurry. Serve as a vegetarian lunch or as a side dish.

Winter Vegetable Crumble with Citrus Bread Crumbs is excerpted from POILÂNE:The Secrets of the World-Famous Bread Bakery © 2019 by Apollonia Poilâne. Photography © 2019 by Philippe Vaurès Santamaria. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

This recipe was featured on our new cook-along podcast Play Me a Recipe. Listen as Apollonia chops, tosses, and bakes her way through this dish, offering tips and backstory along the way.Food52

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Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 large onions, thinly sliced
  • Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 2 large parsnips, peeled and sliced
  • 1 fennel bulb, stalks removed, fronds reserved, and bulb diced into ½- to ¾-inch (1.5- to 2-cm) pieces
  • 1 large or 2 small turnips, peeled and diced into 1/2- to 3/4-inch (1 1/2- to 2-centimeter) pieces
  • 2 medium yellow or red beets, peeled and cut into thin wedges
  • 1 cup (128 grams) coarsely ground bread crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon (3 grams) finely chopped reserved fennel fronds
  • 1/3 cup (28 grams) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or other hard cheese (optional)
  • 2 teaspoons (2 grams) finely grated orange or grapefruit zest
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
  2. Warm ¼ cup (60 ml) of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch (23-cm) square baking dish and spread it out evenly.
  3. In a large bowl, toss the carrots, parsnips, fennel bulb, turnips, and beets with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper. Spread over the onions in the baking dish.
  4. Bake the crumble for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F (180°C) and bake until the vegetables are just tender, about 45 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs, chopped fennel fronds, the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil, the cheese, if using, and the zest, and stir to mix.
  6. Remove the baking dish from the oven and sprinkle with the bread crumbs. Bake until the crumbs are golden, about 15 minutes longer.
  7. Serve warm or at room temperature.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

1 Review

Georgia M. March 7, 2021
Truly so very good. I put a layer of super-creamy butter beans on top and the result was a bit like shepherd's pie -- which was, you know, delightful. Next time (and there will be a next time) I'm adding more cheese.