Celeriac, the wallflower that shouldn't be

The gnarly, hairy (the farmer barbered the one in the photo!) celeriac bulb is easy to pass by and pass up. It's relatively new to most of us and unfamiliarity is off-putting. I never knew it existed until my French "mother" who was my ad hoc cooking teacher in the mid 70s made it for Christmas dinner. I fell instantly in love and began to transport it from the worldly markets of Manhattan to Maine, particularly for Thanksgiving dinner where I got everybody hooked. Now it's so widely grown in the US, I can buy it at farmers' markets and supermarkets almost anywhere. And I do. I urge you too because it is a fabulous ball of flavor. Celeriac is the root, the bulb, of the plant which gives us the familiar above ground celery. In its case, the sprouts (that celery we know) are kept to a minimum to promote the bulb. So flavor-wise it's celery. You don't have to do anything complex: you can just peel and chop or grate it into stews and soups to add that flavor. Last week I posted the traditional French recipe for celery remoulade, which is the bulb grated and dressed with a sharply flavored mayonnaise, If you want to explore and enjoy more, here are a few ways including my first and still favorite, the mashed celeriac my French "mother" made every Christmas dinner to go with venison. I still serve it every Turkey Day because nothing beats it.

Mashed Celeriac
This is my basic go-to celeriac recipe for Thanksgiving and anytime I want a comforting foil to roasted meat. It's basically less fattening mashed potatoes without potatoes but with celery flavor. Very calming. This recipe is in my book How to Fix a Leek and Other Food From Your Farmers' Market.
serves 4

1 2-4 lb celeriac bulb                     

1½ c vegetable or chick broth

½ tsp celery seed                          

2 tbsp crème fraiche or sour cream*

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste

*or thick yogurt or heavy cream or ricotta cheese—your choice here

Peel the celeriac bulb and cut away as much of the inner brown hairs as you can. If you can’t get them all out, just discard those parts. Chop the useable bulb into 2” chunks and put into a medium saucepan. Add celery seed and broth. Bring to a boil, lower heat and cook uncovered on low heat 30- 40 minutes or until celeriac is soft and liquid is reduced.  Pour contents of the pot into a food processor or blender. Add salt and pepper to your taste and the crème fraiche or your substitute. Process to the consistency of mashed potatoes.

Celeriac with Green Lentils and Mint

Dressed as it is with vinegar and oil, this could be a salad but I like it served warm on my main dish. There just aren't many recipes that put vinegar flavor on a dinner plate. So you can do it either way. If you are vegetarian, you can serve this with rice, fruit chutney and another vegetable for a colorful, tasty meal. If you have roast chicken or pork, put this alongside. Or should you be serving burgers on buns, spoon some out as a side--cold or hot. The combo of celery and mint is refreshing.

serves 4-6
3/4 c French green or puy lentils
1 sm/med celeriac bulb (see above: I used 2/3 of that)
4 c veg broth (use water if you don't have any)
2 bay leaves

French (green) lentils

2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp dried sage
1 tsp celery seed
2 tbsp roasted cashews or hazelnuts, skinned and chopped
3 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp sherry (Jerez) vinegar or apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp hazelnut or walnut or almond oil (if you don't have just use more olive oil)
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste
1-2 tbsp chopped fresh chives or flat leaf parsley

In a med saucepan, combine lentils, 3 c broth/water, bay leaves, thyme and sage. Bring to a boil, lower heat to med/low and cook 15-20 minutes until lentils are just tender. Drain.

While lentils cook, peel the celeriac bulb and slice it into thin disks. Then quarter each disk. Put the celeriac into a saucepan with celery seed, 1 c broth and enough water to cover it. Add a good pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, lower heat to med/low and cook 10-12 min until celeriac is tender. Drain. (You can save the celery flavored cooking liquid for risotto or pasta.) Drain.

Put the hot lentils in a serving bowl with the oil and vinegar, sea salt to your taste and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Blend. Stir in the celeriac, mint and nuts. Garnish with chopped chives or parsley to serve.

Celeriac Soup
This shows up its creamy texture when mashed or puréed. You can't do that with celery stalks.
serves 4-6

4 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lg onion, peeled and sliced into very thin rings
1 med leeks, cleaned and sliced into disks
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lg celeriac bulb (about 2 1/4lbs) peeled and cubed
2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 tsp celery seed
6 1/2 c veg or chicken broth
2/3 c heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste
chopped flat leaf parsley for garnish

In a large heavy gauge saucepan or soup pot, melt the butter with the oil over medium heat. When it's bubbling, add onion and leeks. Sautée stirring 10-12 minutes. Don't let anything burn or stick. Add garlic, celeriac, thyme and celery seed. Season with salt and pepper. Blend everything well and continue to sauté 8-10 minutes.  Pour in the stock. Bring to a bubbling simmer. Cook (uncovered) 20-25 minutes until celeriac is very tender.

Ladle the hot soup into a blender or processor and puree until smooth. (Do in batches if you need to.) Return to the pot, stir in the cream and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Warm on low heat. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle chopped parsley on top to serve. Optional: top with small croutons.

Baked Celeriac with smoked fish

This is a fancier dish suitable for special event or nice luncheon or guest-filled brunch. It comes via London chef Yotam Ottolenghi from the north of Scotland with its abundance of smoked fish. Here the delicate celery flavor balances the smokiness and saltiness of the fish and calms the sharpness of the horseradish. All perfect autumn flavors! serves 4

1 medium celeriac, skin scrubbed but unpeeled, cut in half lengthwise
2 tbsp olive oil
4-5 thyme sprigs or 2 tsp dried thyme leaves
Flaky sea salt and black pepper
1/3 c creme fraiche
1 1/2 tbsp fresh horseradish, peeled and finely grated or  jarred "prepared" horseradish
2/3 lb sliced smoked trout or salmon, each slice cut into 1” wide strips
2 tsp lemon juice, to serve
For the salsa
1½ tbsp small capers (or normal capers, chopped)
1 tbsp parsley leaves, minced
2 tsp tarragon leaves, finely chopped  
1½ tbsp olive oil

Heat the oven to 350º. Put each celeriac half on a separate piece of foil large enough to wrap it in. Dribble a tablespoon of oil over each celeriac half, scatter the thyme and 1/2 tsp of salt on each half, and rub all over. Add a generous grind of pepper, then tightly wrap the celeriac halves in the foil. Bake 1 hr until soft, then unwrap and set aside 30 min to bring to room temperature.

Meanwhile, mix creme fraiche and horseradish with a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper. Refrigerate. Mix the salsa ingredients in another bowl.

To serve, cut each celeriac half into four even wedges. Put two wedges on each serving plate and spoon over  some horseradish cream. Lay a few fish strips on top and drizzle them with the salsa. Squeeze half a teaspoon of lemon juice over each portion and serve immediately.

Baked celeriac plain
This is about as easy as it gets and it's plenty tasty too.

serves 4
1 lg celeriac bulb (3 lbs), cleaned of roots and huge hairs
1/3 c olive oil
1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed with a knife
Coarse or flaked sea salt
1 lemon, in wedges
 
Heat oven to 350º. Using the tip of a small, sharp knife, pierce the unpeeled celeriac bulb all around about 20 times. Put it on a baking dish and rub generously with olive oil, coriander seeds and 2 tsp salt. Roast 2 1/2 hrs, basting every half hour, until it is soft all the way through and golden brown outside. Cut into wedges, sprinkle with a drizzle of olive oil and pinch of salt and the juice of a lemon wedge to serve.