Recipes: Five ways with... Celeriac

Published on Friday 12 February 2010 15:14

CELERIAC is the ugly duckling of root vegetables, but when peeled reveals inner beauty. It is actually a member of the parsley family, but has the flavour and aroma of celery, from whose wild cultivars it derives.

It has been used in European cookery since ancient times, but has never really gained popularity in the UK since its introduction, around the 18th century. Celeriac's greatest fans are the French and Italians, who have created several classic dishes around it, most notably the French celeri remoulade. It absorbs flavours readily, so it is good added to soups and stews or combined with other aromatics.

The vegetable can be bitter if not prepared and cooked properly. Resembling a knobbly turnip, it has a tough, fibrous skin that should be scrubbed before peeling as thinly as possible – to preserve the goodness lying just beneath. It discolours easily so should be sprinkled with lemon juice. Eaten raw, celeriac is best blanched first. When cooking, it should be dropped into boiling water and simmered for 15 minutes or so.

Celeriac is a good source of vitamin C and also contains vitamin B, potassium, iron and phosphorus. It has no fat or cholesterol and few calories. Choose medium-sized celeriac that are firm and free from damage. It will keep in the fridge in an unsealed plastic bag for up to three weeks.

1 Celeriac schnitzel 1 large celeriac; 2 tbsp lemon juice; salt; pepper; pinch ground nutmeg; pinch paprika; 3 eggs, beaten; 50g flour; 50g breadcrumbs; olive oil

Cut the celeriac in half, peel and cut into 1cm-thick slices. Put these in a bowl of water with the lemon juice. Bring a pan of water to the boil and add the celeriac, simmering until al dente. Drain and plunge into a bowl of iced water to stop cooking. Pat dry on kitchen roll and season all over with salt, pepper, nutmeg and paprika. Drench with flour, coat with beaten egg and then cover with breadcrumbs. In a non-stick pan, fry the celeriac slices in the olive oil until browned on both sides, then serve.

2 Garlic root vegetable soup 20 garlic cloves; 5 garlic cloves; 125ml olive oil; 1 medium celeriac, peeled and cubed; 1 large potato, peeled and cubed; 1 medium carrot, scraped and cubed; 2 medium onions, cubed; 2 litres water; salt; black pepper; 1 sprig fresh thyme; 125ml double cream

Place the 20 cloves of peeled garlic in a small baking pan and pour over half the olive oil. Bake in in the oven at 190C for 30 minutes, or until tender.

In a large pot, heat the remaining olive oil and saut the vegetables with the five cloves of garlic for five to ten minutes. Add the water, salt, pepper and thyme, bring to the boil and cook over a medium heat for 40 minutes. Add the baked garlic and its oil to the soup, then remove from the heat and blend until smooth. For a finer result, pass the soup through a moulli. Add the cream, gently re-heat without boiling, then serve.

3 Cheat's celeri remoulade 1 medium-sized celeriac; 2 tbsp lemon juice; tsp salt; 125ml mayonnaise; 125ml crme frache; 1 tsp Dijon mustard

Prepare and peel the celeriac. It must be cut into very fine strips (julienne) – you can use a food processor or mandolin or do it by hand with a large, very sharp knife. In a bowl, combine the salt, lemon juice and about 450ml of water. Drop the prepared celeriac into this mixture as you go along. Either leave to marinate in this solution for an hour to tenderise or blanch for 30 seconds in boiling water and refresh in ice-cold water. In either case, pat dry before combining with the dressing – which is made by mixing together the remaining ingredients. This dish benefits from being leftin the fridge, covered, for a couple of hours to allow the flavours to develop. Bring back to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

4 Celeriac oven chips 2 largish celeriac; 4 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 tbsp mild curry powder or Mexican seasoning powder; sea salt

Peel the celeriac and cut into thumb-thick chunky chips. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and blanch the chips for a minute or two. Drain the chips and return to the pan with the oil and your preferred seasoning (feel free to experiment) and some sea salt, then toss to coat thoroughly. Spread the chips on a baking tray, leaving space between them (you may need two trays). Bake in an oven heated to 230C for 30 to 35 minutes, turning halfway through.

5 Sauted celeriac and pumpkin 400g celeriac (peeled weight), cut into 15mm cubes; 400g pumpkin (peeled weight), cut into 15mm cubes; 85g butter; 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled; 4-5 gratings nutmeg; 2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

Melt the butter in a large frying pan, adding the garlic, celeriac and pumpkin. Don't pack the pan too tightly – make in two batches if necessary. Cook over a fairly high heat, turning frequently so that all sides of the cubes are golden brown. Add the nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Serve sprinkled with the chopped parsley.

&#149 This article was first published in Scotland on Sunday, February 14, 2010