Comforting layered winter bake

Today it is official: winter has begun. I always know winter is coming when I start feeling an urge to knit cozy beanies or slip-overs, read and watch Harry Potter, Little Women or the Secret Garden, think of presents to make and buy for my family and fantasizing about this year's Christmas menu. When I got up this morning I was afraid my toes would freeze off, a thing I had not yet experienced this year, for we had an abnormally long summer in the Netherlands. And even now it is colder, we are still blessed with a perfectly blue sky and a beaming sun. After getting out of bed, which I was very reluctant about, I jumped into my clothes and hurried downstairs, where my boyfriend who had already left for work had turned on the heater. My cats, Sargent and Serov, were curled up in their favourite spots in the living room and as I looked through the window I saw my back garden covered with a freezing white veil. What a lovely morning! I went outside for a moment to throw some seeds for the birds and now that I am at the breakfast table drinking hot mountain tea, I see that my act of generosity did not go unnoticed, for there is a ball-like robin eating the bird food. This wintry weather calls for a warming meal and that's why I am sharing with you a dish I have eaten a lot last winter and will probably make today. It is the kind of food you will not want to stop eating! I came up with this recipe, because I had to improvise a dinner with the vegetables laying in the pantry and I didn't want to leave anything in there. I had bought celeriac and it had been waiting in the storage to be used, but I had not yet come up with an idea. Celeriac isn't my biggest friend, for it gives me a feeling of fullness just after a few bites, maybe because its flavour is so pronounced. But in this hearty casserole it blends in perfectly with the comforting flavours of onion, pumpkin and potatoes and it gives the dish just the note of freshness it needs. My boyfriend and I were not very hungry when I made this layered bake for the first time, but we ate it all! Ingredients, serves 2-3 - 3 medium onion, sliced - 2 big organic potatoes, finely sliced - 1 little celeriac, peeled and finely sliced - about 300 grams of unpeeled organic pumpkin, finely sliced - about 3 tbsp oregano - 1 garlic clove, finely chopped - extra vergine olive oil - salt and black pepper - plain breadcrumbs Preheat the oven at 200 degrees Celsius. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on the bottom of a casserole (30x25cm) and add 1 of the sliced onions. Cover with an imbricated layer of celeriac slices and season with salt, black pepper and about 1 level tbsp of oregano. Continue with another round of sliced onion. Cover with an imbricated layer of sliced potatoes and season with salt, pepper and oregano again. Arrange the last of the onions over the potatoes and finish with the last layer: pumpkin. Season with salt and black pepper. Drizzle some olive oil over the casserole. Sprinkle plain breadcrumbs until the dish is completely covered. Add the chopped garlic and the last bit of oregano. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve hot. Enjoy!