Celeriac: An Unsung Hero

If you are a local, seasonal eater like me, you know now is the time for root vegetables.  One of my favorites that I feel is totally under-utilized is celeriac.  Also called celery root, it is the ugly duckling  of the celery family. It is a good source of vitamins C and B-6, magnesium, iron and potassium. Most importantly, it becomes a beautiful swan of silky puree or soup with a great depth of flavor.

The supermarket variety is usually pre-trimmed and washed, but I prefer to get mine at the farmers market.  Granted it is kind of scary looking: a hairy, dirty, gnarly brown and greenish ball, but the flavor can’t be beat.  Use your paring knife to scrape off the root part, then peel the rest just like a potato. Slice it and get it into your cooking liquid or water with lemon juice quickly as it will begin to “rust.” Here’s a recipe that I demonstrated last Saturday at the Mt. Kisco farmers’ market at the Boys and Girls Club.

I used celery root from Newgate Farms www.newgatefarms.com, and smoked salmon from John Boy’s Farm www.johnboyssmokehouse.com .  Chef’s tip: make some extra puree.  You can refrigerate it for several days, then just heat it up with some more stock and serve as a soup!

Smoked Salmon with Celeriac Puree and Gremolata

Serves 4-6 as appetizer

Ingredients:

For puree:

1 celery root

Chicken stock

Sprig of thyme

Salt and pepper

A dash of cream/crème fraiche (optional)

For gremolata:

¼ cup tamari almonds

1 T chopped parsley (flat leaf)

½ T lemon, lime, or grapefruit zest

4-6 slices smoked salmon, each rolled lengthwise

Procedure:

Wash celeriac and cut roots off bottom.  Peel like a potato, then slice and place in small saucepan.  Add enough chicken stock to just cover and sprig of thyme.  Bring to a boil, then cover and turn down to simmer until celeriac is very soft.  Meanwhile, crush almonds and mix with parsley and zest.  Put aside.  When celery root is soft, place in blender or food processor with half of the cooking liquid (remove thyme sprig).  Puree, adding more liquid if necessary.  Taste, then salt and pepper as needed.  If puree needs some body, you may add the cream or milk.  Plate a spoonful of the puree, then run the back of the spoon through the puree to streak it across the plate. Stand the salmon roll in the puree, pulling edges out slightly so it resembles an open rose bloom.  Sprinkle gremolata lightly over plate.

Vegetarians/vegans can make the puree or soup with vegetable stock and serve without salmon or cream for a tasty dish.

I will try to post a recipe on the first Friday of every month.  If you have any questions, requests, or feedback,  please feel free to leave a comment below.  Enjoy!

Yorktown’s own Karen Symington Muendell is Chef/Owner of Serves You Right, Culinary LLC  in Westchester. She caters, teaches and does public cooking demonstrations at area farmers’ markets.