Tagliatelle with Roasted Celeriac Cream and Hazelnuts | Refined Italian Taste

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Peel 500 g of celeriac and cut it into approximately 2 cm cubes. Place the celeriac cubes on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, along with 4 whole unpeeled garlic cloves. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, season with half a teaspoon of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and add the thyme sprigs. Bake for 25 minutes until the celeriac becomes tender and browned at the edges.

Toast 60 g of hazelnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until they become fragrant and the skins begin to crack. Let them cool slightly, then coarsely chop them.

Remove the celeriac from the oven and discard the woody thyme stems (stripping off the aromatic leaves). Squeeze the roasted garlic from the skins directly into a blender. Add the roasted celeriac cubes, 20 g of 82% fat butter, a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, and approximately 150 ml of warm water (or pasta cooking water). Blend on high speed until you get a very smooth, velvety, and homogeneous cream. Season to taste with sea salt and ground black pepper.