Here at Chewonki we have many bags of celeriac stored in our root cellar. Celeriac is a cousin of celery but the root is the edible part. Stalks would make a great addition to a vegetable stock, but usually when you see a celeriac in the market the stalks are removed. Celeriac is round and about the size of a rutabaga. It has a pale green exterior and may be patched with rough, brown, woody skin. Since it is a root, it may have hard to clean patches of dirt as well. In case you’ve ever seen this bulbous root at the grocers and thought “what in the world would I do with that”, I thought I’d share a couple of things we’ve done recently here in the Chewonki Kitchen. One recipe calls for raw celeriac and the other cooked.
I hope you’ll give celeriac a try!
Celeriac Remoulade
Ingredients:
- 1 celeriac
- 1 T lemon juice
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 T dijon mustard
- 2 T chopped parsley
- S & P to taste
Directions:
Carefully remove any rough patches and dirt hiding in crevices. Quarter and grate the celeriac on a hand grater or in a food processor.
To the grated celeriac add the remaining ingredients and stir well. The result is a creamy slaw-like accompaniment to a sandwich or piece of fish.
Celeriac and Cheddar Soup
Ingredients:
- 2 Celeriac
- 2 red or gold potatoes
- 2 onions
- 3 T olive oil
- 4 cups vegetable stock, store bought or homemade (to make: boil 2 whole onions, skin and all, 2 carrots and 2 celery or celeriac stalks in 6 cups of water for one hour. Pour through a strainer to retain the stock.)
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- S & P to taste
- 2 T parsley or chives
Directions:
Clean your celeriac well. Trim out any deep patches which may contain sand and dirt. Cut them into large chunks.
Clean and rid potatoes of eyes or blemishes and give them a rough chop.
Peel and chop onions.
Note: your vegetables can be large dice as the soup will be pureed in the end.
Heat the olive oil in a medium soup pot with a heavy bottom. Add the vegetables and cook them, stirring occasionally until they begin to get a little color.
Add the stock and bring the mix to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 15 -20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Puree the mixture. We use an immersion blender but a blender or food processor will both work well.
With your soup on a very low heat, gradually add in the grated cheese and add salt and pepper to taste and stir until the cheese is melted and incorporated. Don’t allow your soup to boil at this stage or the cheese may congeal. Sprinkle with chopped parsley or chives.
Serve with fresh bread or croutons, and green salad.
Note: this soup can easily be made vegan: After you’ve pureed the soup, taste for salt and pepper and top with a spoonful of non-dairy sour cream and chopped herbs.
