Culinary Adventures with Camilla

I have always loved colorful salads and was tickled to come across my (long-lost) julienne peeler when I cleaned out my utensils drawer this weekend. It was almost like going shopping...there were tools in there that I hadn't seen in awhile. You can bet that I julienned to my heart's content this weekend! This beet and celeriac salad was inspired by the beets and arugula we received in our CSA (community supported agriculture) box on Saturday. This salad is easy to prep ahead of time; you just toss with the dressing right before serving. Ingredients Salad 2 to 3 raw organic beets, scrubbed, dried, and julienned 1 organic celery root, peeled and julienned ¾ cup organic arugula Also needed: sesame seeds for garnish Dressing ¼ cup vinegar (I used apple cider) ¼ cup olive oil 1 Tablespoon honey (I used a local sage honey) ¾ teaspoon ground cumin freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper 2 Tablespoons organic fresh mint, chopped ...

Wendy of  A Day in the Life on the Farm  kicked off this group: Soup Saturday Swappers. And P~, from The Saucy Southerner , is hosting our May theme which is Meatless Soups. P~ wrote: "The Meatless Monday Movement has been around for a long time and is gaining momentum. May is a great month for all sorts of seasonal vegetables. Make a satisfying soup of any type, chunky, brothy, creamy, but use only vegetables and vegetable stock." The Meatless Soup Pots An InLinkz Link-up I made a pot of soup rife with root vegetables and some greens. Though we're slowly getting away from chilly days and heading into the warmer month, This would still be perfect for a Meatless Monday...or any day really! Ingredients 1 C diced onions 1/2 C diced fennel bulb 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed 2 T olive oil 2 C carrots, cubed 2 C potatoes, cubed 1 C celery root, cubed 6 C vegetable stock 2 C thinly sliced kale 1/2 C fresh parsley, chopped freshly g...

When we were planning our belated Christmas dinner, I asked Jenn to bring a sidedish. She brought this... It was delicious, subtle, and went perfectly with my Feijoada . And we were all surprised that it didn't include potatoes! She did the shallots and the rosemary just before serving, but came with everything else warmed in a casserole. I can't wait to make this. Ingredients 2 C sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces 2 C parsnips, cut into ½-inch pieces 1 C celery root, cut into ½-inch pieces 1 clove garlic, smashed ½ t kosher salt 2 T olive oil 2 large shallots, sliced into thin rings 2 T fresh rosemary leaves (from about 2 sprigs) freshly ground black pepper, for serving Procedure Place sweet potatoes, parsnips, celery root, and garlic to a souppot and cover with water by at least 1". Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the vegetables are tender, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Reserve 1 C cook...

This round Rachel, at  The Crispy Cook , selected  Sustenance & Desire: A Food Lover's Anthology of Sensuality and Humor  by Bascove for our December 2014-January 2015  Cook the Books   project. Click to see  her invitation . T his post contains an Amazon-affiliate link at the bottom  - for the book. This was the perfect selection to span the holidays. There was no plot to follow, characters of which to keep track, all the while trying to balance holiday parties and general end-of-the-year mayhem. This was a delightful collection of poems, paintings, and short editorials that could be read, furtively, while waiting for the kids to fall asleep so Santa could crumble the cookies and fill the stockings! There were many moments of inspiration. I considered doing something with artichokes... The artichoke of delicate heart  erect in its battle-dress, builds its minimal cupola... -Pablo Neruda ...or something with cheese... ...

As part of our soup and salad course, I created a duet of root-based salads. One featured celeriac, the other showcased a combination of beets, carrots, and radishes. And I put my brand-new mandolin to great use. I can't believe it's taken me this long to get one. It's outrageously easy. Salad One: Celeriac-Apple Salad A bright mustard vinaigrette is tossed with celery root and tart apples for a light salad with a delicious crunch. Ingredients  for the Mustard Vinaigrette 2 t Dijon mustard 2 T apple cider vinegar 3 T olive oil 2 T walnut oil (or you can use 5 T olive oil if you don't have any walnut oil) freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper for the Salad 1 medium celery root 2 medium tart apples (I had some Granny Smiths from our High Ground Organics CSA ) 4 medium celery stalks juice from 1 organic lemon 1/2 C fresh herbs, finely chopped 1/4 C toasted pecan pieces for garnish Procedure Whisk the ...

As we go through the CSA season, I figured I'd spotlight something from the box...and I'll provide a recipe for what I did with it. When Pia picked up our CSA boxes from High Ground Organics   last Thursday, she dropped mine off in the office. "Don't show that to Brian," she warned, gesturing at the celery root. She didn't knowing that her veg-shy husband was tucked away in his office...within earshot. Don't show me what?  he demanded, peeking over the wall. She left and I spun the bag to show the innocuous strawberries and lettuce. "What?" I said. What are you not supposed to show me\? "Nothing," I lied. No! I saw that thing. The brain! What is that? "It's just celery root. Now go back to work, nosy! You won't even recognize it when she cooks it." He shook his head and sat back down. Meet Celery Root - also known as celeriac. It's one of the least photogenic root veggies. E...

For Jake's birthday, I planned a 'Fungi Feast for My Fun-Guy' and one of our friends gave him a Grow-Your-Own Mushroom Kit as a present. Fun. Only, he forgot about it until he noticed that a mushroom was pushing its way out of a box. Funny. So, he hung it on a hook in the kitchen and dutifully sprays it to keep it moist. Today, he told me that it was time to cook the renegade mushroom that was not 'following the directions' and was sprouting out of the top instead of out of its grow hole. Really funny. I had never seen a kit like this. Then we went to the Maker Faire Bay Area and the Far West Fungi booth had them for sale. Far West Fungi 's webstore carries a shitake mushroom kit . And you can also get an oyster mushroom kit  online at Uncommon Goods . I carefully cut off the lone mushroom, sliced it up, and included it in our stirfry for lunch. 1 T crushed garlic 1/2 lb ground turkey 4 carrots, scrubbed and cut into coins 1 celery root, peeled an...

This week  Sandra of Meadows Cooks  picked our Bittman recipe for the week: Japanese-Spiced Roasted Beets. Here's  what the creative cookers made  (look in the comments section). Clad only in a tanktop and shorts, with my boys splashing outside in the pool, turning on the oven was the last thing I wanted to to this afternoon. So, I opted for a Japanese-Spiced Beet Salad instead. 2-3 beets, scrubbed, dried, and julienned 1 celery root, peeled and julienned 1 C organic wild arugula 1 t toasted sesame oil 2 t olive oil 1 t rice wine vinegar dash of chili powder splash of soy sauce freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper zest from 1 lemon sesame seeds for garnish Place the beets, celery root, and arugula in a large mixing bowl. In a cruet - of just a mason jar with a lid - place the sesame oil, olive oil, vinegar, soy sauce, chili powder, sea salt, pepper, and lemon zest. Shake to emulsify. Toss into the beet mixture until completely coa...

As part of my Mothers' Day celebration, I packed a picnic dinner and we watched the sunset over the rocks and purple sand of Pfeiffer Beach, Los Padres National Forest. We started with champagne and Chilled Watermelon-Blackberry Soup . Then we moved on to a duet of salads... Beetroot & Celeriac Salad raw, organic beets, julienned raw, organic celery root, julienned organic wild arugula olive oil lemon juice freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper Fennel & Parmesan Salad thinly sliced fennel shredded parmesan organic wild arugula olive oil lemon juice freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper Toss ingredients until evenly coated with the olive oil and lemon juice. Finish with salt and pepper to taste.

For a side dish - to complement my Salmon en Croute - I used the celery root and cabbage from our High Ground Organics CSA box. 1 celery root, peel and julienned 1 teeny, tiny head of cabbage, thinly sliced olive oil vinegar honey raw pistachios fennel pollen sea salt In a large mixing bowl toss the celery root and cabbage together until well mixed. Dress with olive oil, vinegar, and honey. Toss to coat. Stir in pistachios. Season with fennel pollen and sea salt. Let sit for 10-15 minutes.

I had a handful of these "not lovely" knobs in my High Ground Organics CSA box this afternoon: celeriac or celery root. What they lack in aesthetics, they make up for in subtle, gorgeous flavor. I would say that they taste like celery mixed with parsley. Ingredients 2 leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced 2 celeriac, peeled and thinly sliced 2 T butter 6 C organic chicken broth 1 t celery seeds 1 C organic heavy cream 1/2 C shredded parmesan Procedure In a large soup pot, melt the butter in a splash of olive oil. Saute the leeks and celeriac until caramelized and softened. Add the celery seeds and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Then cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for an hour or so. Just before serving, stir in the cream. Garnish with the cheese and serve hot.

When you add four ingredients to vegetables, you transform them into Earth's candy - caramelized and concentrated. Delicious. Oh, the four ingredients: olive oil, salt, pepper, and heat. I decided to roast some of the root vegetables I had in the fridge to put atop our Easter salad. Peel and cut veggies into bite-sized pieces. For this batch I used celery root, parsnips, carrots, and red beets. Place them in a roasting pan, drizzle them with olive oil, sprinkle them with freshly ground sea salt and pepper. I did add some fresh rosemary to this batch. Okay, this took five ingredients! Cover them with foil and roast in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and let them roast - and caramelize - for another 15 minutes. Place the roasted veggies on top of mixed greens. Season with salt and pepper. Dress with olive oil and juice from one lemon. I used a rosemary -infused olive oil. Toss and serve. I am sharing this recipe with Beyond the Peel's Whole Food Wednes...

Here we are at week nine of the Food Matters Project , the brainchild of Sarah of 20somethingcupcakes and Kate from Cookie + Kate . Each week we all - here's the ' we ' and we've grown to just over four dozen fellow foodie bloggers - cook the same recipe, from Mark Bittman's The Food Matters Cookbook, posting our interpretations and adaptations. This week Keely of  KeelyMarie  assigned us Mark's Cassoulet with Lots of Vegetables. Here's her post . And click here to see what all the creative cookers whipped up; look in the comments section. I have to be honest: I have never made a cassoulet  and I wasn't feeling very enthusiastic about this dish. Call it culinary lethargy.  Then a friend walked into my office this afternoon with a pack of wild boar sausages. I love being friends with hunters! I was now officially inspired. I started with my High ground Organics CSA box goodies: 1 celery roo...