Celariac
CELERIAC (Celery root)
Apium graveolens var. rapaceum
Celeriac (celery root, knob celery or turnip-rooted celery) is a root vegetable that belongs to the same plant family as celery. It is knobbly, much overlooked and rather alien looking. It’s covered in strange appendages, mud-filled crevices and warty protrusions and considered by some to look like a mandrake from Harry Potter’s herbology class. But celery root won’t kill you! It’s delicious and good value.
“Under the craggy skin lies a smoky, earthy fragrance that can be the starting point for hundreds of recipes”. Raw: celeriac has fantastic crunch and a super nutty, celery-like flavour that makes it perfect for salads and slaws, such as French classic crunchy rémoulade. Cooked: it takes on a slight sweetness, perfect for a velvety mash, a warming gratin or a silky soup.
Celeriac is in season in the UK from October through to February.
http://www.greatbritishchefs.com/how-to-cook/how-to-cook-celeriac and https://www.riverford.co.uk/a-to-z-of-veg/celeriac
Goes well with:
Apple and pear
Caraway
Cheese (Blue, Parmesan)
Cream
Fish and seafood (White fish, Mackerel, Scallops)
Herbs
Horseradish
Lemon
Mustard
Nuts
Pork (Roast pork, Bacon, Ham)
Nutrition Facts
Celeriac root is very nutritious. It packs a good amount of vitamin K, vitamin C and phosphorus into each serving. It’s also relatively low in carbs, whilst high in fibre (an excellent prebiotic).
One cup (about 156 grams) of raw celeriac contains approximately:
- 65.5 calories
- 14.4 grams carbohydrates
- 2.3 grams protein
- 0.5 gram fat
- 2.8 grams dietary fibre
- 64 micrograms vitamin K (80 percent DV)
- 12.5 milligrams vitamin C (21 percent DV)
- 179 milligrams phosphorus (18 percent DV)
- 468 milligrams potassium (13 percent DV)
- 0.3 milligram vitamin B6 (13 percent DV)
- 0.2 milligram manganese (12 percent DV)
- 31.2 milligrams magnesium (8 percent DV)
- 67.1 milligrams calcium (7 percent DV)
- 1.1 milligrams iron (6 percent DV)
- 0.1 milligram riboflavin (6 percent DV)
- 0.1 milligram copper (5 percent DV)
- 0.5 milligram pantothenic acid (5 percent DV)
- 0.1 milligram thiamine (5 percent DV)
In addition to the nutrients listed above, this root vegetable also contains a small amount of folate, vitamin E, zinc and selenium.
https://draxe.com/nutrition/celeriac/#What_Is_Celeriac
Prep & Cooking tips:
“Give it a good scrub then set to it with a knife to carve away the knobbly skin and roots. A sharp knife is more practical than a peeler as the root end can be a little gnarled and tangled. A little wastage is inevitable. Either chop the celeriac into chunks for roasting, soup or mash, or slice thinly for a gratin. Slice/grate into matchsticks for using raw in salads and rémoulade. And clean offcuts or skin work wonders in a stock pot”.
I love celeriac. I had never even heard of it until one appeared in my Riverford weekly veg box a few years ago. Now I look for it eagerly. It is a bit of a pain to prepare and cutting flesh away with the skin can feel wasteful – but it’s so worth the effort.
Cheesy celeriac, leek & rosemary gratin
Ingredients
25g butter
2 leeks, outer layer removed, washed of any grit and sliced into rings
small handful rosemary leaves, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
300ml double cream
300ml milk
1 celeriac (about 500g), peeled, quartered and thinly sliced
100g cheddar or gruyère, coarsely grated
Method
STEP 1
Heat the butter in a saucepan. Add the leeks, rosemary and bay leaf, then cover and cook very gently over a medium-low heat for 15-20 mins until the leeks are soft. Pour over the milk and almost all of the cream, then season and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave to cool a little, then scoop out the bay leaf.
STEP 2
Pour a little of the leek mixture into an ovenproof gratin dish. Arrange a layer of celeriac in the dish, then season. Spoon over some more of the leek mixture and scatter with a little cheese. Repeat the process, alternating between layers of the leek mixture, cheese and celeriac slices, then finish with a drizzle of cream and the last of the cheese. Can be prepared up to a day ahead and kept in the fridge.
*I also added a tiny bit of grated nutmeg and lemon zest on the top of the dish, before cooking
STEP 3
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Bake the gratin for 1 hr-1 hr 15 mins until the top is golden and the celeriac is tender when poked with a knife. If the gratin is browning a little too much, cover the dish in foil. Can be chilled, then reheated in a microwave or oven on a low heat with a drizzle more cream.
Two other recipes, to make another day:
The sausage, barley and cereriac recipe sounds a very interesting combination of flavours and texture. I might well make that with the sprouts in of fridge, later in the week. The third celeriac recipe reminds me of a dear friend Yasmin. When my son was very young, a few mothers would meet regularly at her house with our toddlers, to share the childcare and to share a meal. Her husband Andy cooked this for us all one day – it was such a special treat. It’s been one of my favourite meals ever since.
SAUSAGE, CELERIAC AND BARLEY with sprouts and blue cheese
Ingredients
oil for frying and roasting
4 pork and apple sausages
2 large or 3 smaller onions
⅔ celeriac
175g pearl barley
500ml chicken stock
1 tsp mixed herbs
200g Brussels sprouts
75g perl las blue cheese
1 lemon
Salt and pepper
Method
Prep time: 10 min
Cooking time: 40 min
Step 1
Preheat oven to 210°C/Gas Mark 5. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan. Add the sausages and fry, turning them now and then, until browned. Remove from the heat. Peel and cut the onions in half, then each half into 5-6 wedges, through the root to hold them together. Transfer the wedges to a roasting tin.
Step 2
Peel and chop two thirds of the celeriac into approx 2cm chunks. Add to the onion. Toss them in just enough oil to coat and season with a little salt and pepper. Add the sausages. Roast the veg and sausages for 30 minutes or so, until the celeriac and onions are tender and starting to colour a little, and the sausages are cooked through. Toss the veg and turn the sausages halfway through, so they roast evenly.
Step 3
Meanwhile, heat the stock in a large pan. Rinse the barley in a sieve or colander and add to the stock with the dried mixed herbs. Cook on a low to medium boil for 25-30 minutes. Stir often and add a splash of water to top up the liquid if needed (this will vary depending on your pan); by the end of cooking you want a sloppy, risotto like consistency.
Step 4
Meanwhile, wash and peel the outer leaves of the sprouts. Cut them in half lengthways, through the stalk, then thinly shred each half, discarding the little stalk bases. Roughly crumble up the blue cheese. When the barley is ready, mix with the roasted celeriac, onion, sausages and blue cheese.
Step 5
Season to taste with salt and pepper (you won’t need much salt as the cheese is quite salty). Add a little squeeze of lemon juice to sharpen the dish. Wash out the frying pan. Add and heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the sprouts and briskly stir-fry for 2-3 minutes to wilt them. Stir some into the barley and save some for garnishing. Wash out the frying pan. Add and heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the sprouts and briskly stir-fry for 2-3 minutes to wilt them.
Step 6
Stir some into the barley and save some for garnishing. Divide the barley and sausages between 2 serving bowls or plates and top with the remaining fried sprouts.
VEGETARIAN SHEPHERD’S PIE WITH GOATS’ CHEESE MASH
INGREDIENTS
4 oz (110 g) dried black-eyed beans, pre-soaked and drained
8 oz (225 g) tomatoes
1 heaped tablespoon chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as sage, rosemary, thyme and parsley
¼ level teaspoon ground mace
¼ level teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
salt and freshly milled black pepper
3 oz (75 g) green split peas (no need to soak), rinsed
3 oz (75 g) green lentils (no need to soak), rinsed
2 oz (50 g) peeled carrots
2 oz (50 g) peeled swede
2 oz (50 g) peeled celeriac
1 large onion, peeled
1 small green pepper, deseeded
2 oz (50 g) butter, plus a little extra for greasing
For the topping:
4 oz (110 g) soft goats’ cheese
1 lb 8 oz (700 g) potatoes, peeled
2 oz (50 g) butter
2 tablespoons milk
1 oz (25 g) Pecorino cheese, grated
salt and freshly milled black pepper
METHOD
You will need to soak and drain the black-eyed beans.
To do this, wash them under cold, running water and discard any broken ones. If it is convenient, soak them overnight in 2 pints (1.2 litres) cold water. If you need them today and haven’t got time to do this, simply bring them up to the boil (using the same quantity of water), boil for 10 minutes and leave them to soak for two hours before draining. Now put the drained beans into a saucepan with the split peas and lentils.
Add 1¼ pints (725 ml) boiling water and some salt, cover and simmer gently for 50-60 minutes, or until the pulses have absorbed the water and are soft. Then remove them from the heat and mash them just a little with a large fork.
Now pre-heat the oven to gas mark 5, 375°F (190°C), and put the potatoes on to steam.
Next, roughly chop all the vegetables, pile the whole lot into a food processor and process until chopped small. Next, melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the vegetables and cook gently for 10-15 minutes, stirring now and then until they’re softened and tinged gold at the edges.
Meanwhile, skin the tomatoes. Place them in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water on to them. After exactly a minute (or 15-30 seconds, if they are small), remove them (protecting your hands with a cloth if the tomatoes are hot), slip off their skins and slice them or click on our Cookery School Video on the right to watch. After that, add the vegetables to the pulses mixture, along with the herbs, spices and salt and freshly milled black pepper to taste. Then spoon the mixture into the baking dish and arrange the tomatoes in overlapping slices on the top. As soon as the potatoes are cooked, place them in a bowl, add the butter, milk and goats’ cheese, whisk to a smooth purée, season with salt and freshly milled black pepper and spread the potato over the rest of the ingredients in the dish.
Finally, sprinkle over the Pecorino and bake the pie on the top shelf of the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.
Tally for the month
Main Vegetables: calabrese broccoli, celeriac
Subsidiary Vegetables: onion, garlic, leek, celery, potato, rosemary
Subsidiary Fruit and Nuts: lemon
Relishing Life - Eating Well 