Celeriac and Tomato Soup
4 tomatoes 2 cups water
2 # celeriac ¼ cup lovage chopped (optional)
3 leeks 1 onion
1 clove garlic 1 large carrot
1 tablespoon olive oil 2 T butter
3 sprigs parsley 6 cups chicken broth
salt and freshly ground pepper
Peel, seed, and roughly chop tomatoes. Peel sufficient celeriac to make 1 ½ pounds trimmed flesh, then cut into ½ inch cubes and drop into acidulated water. Wash and trim leeks and, using only the white and light green parts, thinly slice. You should have 1 ½ cups. Chop onion and combine with leeks. Chop garlic. Thinly slice carrot. Heat together oil and butter and sauté leeks and onion until wilted. Add garlic and carrot, and cook for 5 minutes longer, Add one third of the tomatoes and cook until they are lightly browned on the edges and the juice is evaporated. Add drained celeriac, the rest to the tomatoes and the parsley sprig. Cook together for 10 minutes. Add chicken broth, water and lovage (if using). Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Puree, season with salt and pepper, and serve with croutons on the side. (serves 8) For thinner soup only use 1 pound celeriac and 3 tomatoes.
CELERY ROOT BISQUE WITH THYME CROUTONS
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup coarsely chopped shallots (about 3 large)
2 pounds celery roots (celeriac), peeled, woody parts trimmed and discarded, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 5 1/2 cups)
1 10-ounce russet potato, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
5 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1/4 cup whipping cream
Additional chopped fresh thyme
Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add celery; cover and cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add shallots; sauté uncovered 3 minutes. Stir in celery root cubes and potato, then broth and 1 1/2 teaspoons thyme. Increase heat to high; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 40 minutes. Cool slightly.
Working in batches, transfer soup to blender and puree until smooth. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Cover and refrigerate.)
Stir cream into soup and bring to simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with additional chopped thyme and serve.
Bon Appétit
November 2005
Celeriac Slaw
From Carried Away (a great place to eat in Aptos, CA…if you ever need a caterer, we highly recommend them)
1 celery root, peeled and cut into julienne (or grated if you don’t have a mandolin, some of you may be able to julienne with a sharp knife)
1 egg
1 cup oil
1 Tablespoon capers, chopped
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
2-4 Tablespoons chopped parsley (or cilantro, or other fresh herb)
Boil a pot of water. Add the thin slices of celeriac for one minute, just to blanch them. Drain and set aside. In a blender mix the egg, lemon juice, salt & pepper. While that is mixing, slowly add in the oil. Spoon the sauce over the celery root, add the capers and the parsley, then toss. (Julia’s note: I’ve successfully skipped the blanching part)
Potato-Celery Root Cakes
from Deborah Madison
1 pound potatoes, peeled
1 pound celery root, peeled
3-4 Tablespoons oil
Salt & Pepper
Grate the potatoes and celeriac, mix together. In a heavy skillet heat half the oil over med. heat. Add half the potatoes-celery root mixture, making a layer about 1/2 inch thick. Season, then cover with the other half of the mixture. Press down on the cake and neaten the edges. Reduce heat to low and cook until the bottom is golden, about 10-15 minutes. Turn the cake out onto a plate, add the remaining oil, slide the cake back into the pan and cook the other side until golden.
Storage: Wrap celery root in plastic and refrigerate for up to one week.
Spices that go nicely with celery root:
Nutmeg, garlic, cinnamon, cloves, allspice.
measuring:
1 small celery root, sliced = 2 cups
Nutritional Value: Celery Root is Rich in phosphorous and potassium; 40 calories per cup
A very basic cooking method:
Peel and cube celery root and cook in boiling salted water about 10 minutes. Serve with butter or lemon juice.