Skip to main content

CSA Spotlight: Meet Celery Root + a Recipe

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. Ever. It's an ugly, sometimes hairy, muddy-colored knobby ball. It actually does look like a brain. It's, not surprisingly, the root of the celery plant. It has a mild, celery-like flavor with a starchy, rather potato-like texture. It's a surprising but winning combination.

Tonight I texted Brian: "I'm cooking the brain." He responded that he had forgotten about it. Obviously Pia hasn't cooked their yet. Here's what I did with ours...

Roasted Celeriac & Purple Potatoes

Ingredients

  • 1 leek, trimmed and cut into 1" piece
  • 2 C peeled, cubed celeriac
  • 2 C cubed purple potatoes
  • olive oil
  • 1/2 t celery seed
  • freshly ground salt
  • freshly ground pepper

Procedure
Preheat the oven to 425° F. Place the leek, celeriac and potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle in the celery seed and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with olive oil until it's all coated and glossy. Spoon the mixture into a baking dish. Roast for 30 minutes.

Reduce the heat to 375° F and stir the veggies. Return the pan to the oven for another 30 minutes. The celeriac and potatoes should be easily pierced with a toothpick or skewer but not mushy.

Serve warm.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce

Aloo Tiki {Pakistan}

To start off our Pakistani culinary adventure, I started us off with aloo tiki - potato cutlets. I'm always game for tasty street food. I found a couple of different recipes and incorporated those together for this version. Ingredients 6-8 small red potatoes, scrubbed 1 T cumin seeds 1 T fresh chopped parsley 1/2 t ground coriander 1 t minced garlic Procedure Boil the potatoes until they are tender. Drain and let cool. Mash the potatoes. Traditionally they are mashed without their skins. I left the skins on. In a small pan, toast the cumin seeds on high heat until the begin to give off an aroma and begin to darken. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate to keep them from cooking any more. Blend all of the spices into the mashed potatoes, then shape into small patties. If you wet your hands, the potato mixture won't stick to them. Heat a splash of oil in a large, flat-bottom pan. Dip each patty into beaten egg and carefully place in the oil. P

Hot Chocolate Agasajo-Style {Spice It Up!}

photo by D For my Spice It Up! kiddos this week, I was looking for an exotic drink to serve while we learned about saffron. I found a recipe from food historian Maricel Presilla that mimicked traditional Spanish hot chocolate from the 17th century where it was served at lavish receptions called agasajos . When I teach, I don't always get to shoot photos. Thankfully, D grabbed my camera and snapped a few. Ingredients serves 14-16 1 gallon organic whole milk 3 T dried rosebuds - or 2 t rosewater 2 t saffron threads, lightly crushed 3 T ground cinnamon 3 whole tepin chiles, crushed 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 lb. bittersweet chocolate Procedure In a large soup pot that can hold a gallon plus, combine milk, dried rosebuds (or rosewater, if you are using that), saffron threads, ground cinnamon, chiles, vanilla beans, and sugar and warm over medium heat till it steams. Whisk to dissolve sugar, then lower heat an