New Demo Series: Imperfectly Delicious!

First Demo:  Celeriac—Ugly But Versatile

by Lisa Barclay, Board Member

As part of our work to support local farms—and to help our members find easy, healthy recipes—we’re inaugurating a new demo series highlighting how to use veggies that might seem unfamiliar or even a little intimidating. We’ll also branch out into related questions, like what do I do with those veggies in my fridge that are going to go bad soon? or why are there so many kinds of miso and what do I do with them? The demos will be twice a month in the store, usually the first Saturday between 3 and 5 pm and the third Tuesday between 1 and 3 pm. Our first Imperfectly Delicious! demo features celeriac (also called celery root).

Celeriac is a large, bulbous white root that tastes like a blend of celery and parsley. This veggie is extremely versatile. (In particular, it makes a great non-starch substitute for potatoes in all sorts of dishes.) The classic celeriac recipe is a simple celeriac remoulade of grated raw celeriac and apple with a mustardy vinaigrette, but grated celeriac can be tossed into any kind of salad. Or it can be chopped or sliced and boiled, steamed, roasted, fried, grilled, or sautéed. It can be pureed to make a silky soup, or mashed, or scalloped. You get the idea. 

Celeriac looks pretty ugly and unwieldy, but it is actually simple to work with. You just need to peel it past the thick skin and the dirt caught in the cracks. A peeler is much too small for the job, so you’ll need a paring knife or even something larger. Cut off each end so you can stand the celeriac securely on your cutting board, then work around the bulb, cutting off the skin. Then rinse, and prepare it as per your recipe. Celeriac browns quickly, so if you are going to use it raw, you might want to put it in acidic water—water with lemon juice or vinegar—until you are ready to use it.

I asked a few celeriac aficionados for their favorite easy recipes, which you’ll find below. Local farm websites also have many recipes, so check them out.

Celeriac Remoulade—suggested by Laura, our produce manager

1 medium size celeriac root, peeled and grated

1 to 2 apples, cored and julienned

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons dijon mustard

juice from half a lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together dressing ingredients. Place grated celeriac in a large bowl.  Toss dressing and celeriac together using tongs.  When celeriac is thoroughly coated, taste and adjust salt and pepper.  

Celeriac and Radicchio Salad—suggested by Hanako of Midori Farm

Hanako says celeriac goes with pretty much any salad dressing. She likes to toss it with thinly sliced radicchio, which sounds like heaven to me, as I love anything with radicchio in it.

1/2 head Treviso radicchio, thinly sliced

1 medium or half a large celeriac root, peeled and grated or cut into matchsticks

2 to 3 heaping tablespoons of chickpea miso mixed with a little water (or use olive oil)

2 tablespoons vinegar—rice, sherry, cider, balsamic are all fine

1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice

1 to 2 cloves garlic, pressed

pepper to taste

Whisk together dressing, adjusting ingredient amounts to taste. Toss with the radicchio and celeriac. You can also add other veggies, like shredded carrots, turnips, and/or radishes. And if you want to add protein, stir some peanut butter or tahini into the salad dressing, maybe adding a dash of toasted sesame oil.

Scalloped Celeriac and Potatoes—suggested by Theresa, farm work trader extraordinaire

Theresa, who assists Hanako at the Farmers Market, always has great recipe ideas, so stop by and ask her (and Hanako) for tips. For celeriac, she subs it in for some or even all of the potatoes in scalloped potatoes recipes.

Butter for greasing the baking dish

1 pound celeriac, peeled, halved, sliced about 1/8 inch thick

1 pound baking potatoes, peeled, sliced about 1/8 inch thick

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup grated Gruyère (or any melting cheese—Mystery Bay chèvre would be nice), divided

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

2 cups vegetable stock or 1 cup stock and 1 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with butter.

Alternate layers of celeriac with potatoes in the baking dish, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Halfway through, add 1/3 cup cheese in an even layer and sprinkle on the thyme. Layer the rest of the celeriac and potatoes, but stay below the rim of the dish, to leave room for the liquid to boil.

Pour the stock over the celeriac and potatoes and dot with butter. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 15 minutes more. Sprinkle the remaining 2/3 cup cheese over the top layer, add fresh pepper, and bake until the cheese turns golden, about 15 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Celeriac and Carrot Puree—from Red Dog Farm’s website

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 pound shallots, peeled and chopped

4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 celeriac, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

Kosher salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

2 cups vegetable stock

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan with a lid over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until just beginning to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and celeriac and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the stock, and enough water to just cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until vegetables are fork tender, about 30 minutes.

Drain the vegetables in a colander set over a bowl to reserve the cooking liquid. Transfer the vegetables to a food processor and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Puree until very smooth, adding cooking liquid, as needed, to reach the desired consistency. Taste and season again, if necessary. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve warm. Note: This can be made the day before and slowly reheated.

Celery Root and Leek Bisque—from Nash’s website

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 leeks, cleaned and chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

1 large celery root (celeriac), peeled and cubed

3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2 cups water

1 teaspoon white pepper

1/8 teaspoon chile powder

Sea salt

In a large pot, melt the butter with the olive oil.

Add the leeks and cook for about five minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the garlic cloves and season with salt, and continue to cook until the leeks and garlic are soft and translucent. If the vegetables begin to brown too much, add more olive oil (sparingly).

Add the celery root and stock.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a strong simmer. Cook, with the lid to the pot ajar, until the celery root pieces are soft and easily pierced with a paring knife, about forty-five minutes.

When done cooking, remove from heat and add white pepper and chile powder.

Using a hand mixer at medium speed, puree the soup in its pot until thick and smooth. If necessary, add water or stock to thin.