Source:- Google.com.pk
I discovered celery root, or celeriac, as part of the French crudites ensemble when I was a student in Aix-en-Provence. That was long ago, but my fondness for the vegetable hasn’t changed.
The classic crudite arrangement, so new to me then, included individual salads of grated carrots, sliced or cubed beets and julienned celery root, each with its own dressing, composed on a single plate. It endures today in small, family-run restaurants in villages throughout France and also in the self-serve cafeterias of the auto-route stops. It’s one of those dishes I find so endearing about France.
Since my first encounter with celery root, I have come to value it for uses beyond celery root remoulade, although that particular salad remains one of my favorites.
Celery root probably had its origin in the bogs and marshes of Eurasia, as did stalk celery, but the starch-storing celery root is much more flavorful than the water-laden stalks of its better-known counterpart.
Last year was the first time I tried growing it. Nigel Walker of Eatwell Farm gave me some 500 or so transplants, which my husband nursed through our hot Yolo County summer — celery root prefers it cool — keeping the plants well watered and partially covered with shade cloth.
Just before Thanksgiving I started harvesting. I made pureed celery root and potato topping for shepherd’s pie. I steamed and buttered it. I used it in salads and in chicken pot pie.
Best of all, I made Cream of Celery Root Soup that one of my grandsons declared the best part of the Thanksgiving meal.
It’s also one of the vegetables of the moment in Bay Area restaurants.
The Chronicle’s Michael Bauer has praised the celery root soup at San Francisco’s Doc Ricketts, which is made with apples and garnished with fried kale. Nopa serves celery root with its country pork chop, and celery root is a component in one part of the five-course tasting menu at La Toque in Napa.
Its intriguing flavor is easy for home cooks to incorporate as well. It might look intimidating when you spot it in the produce bin, but take heart. Get it home, then grab a sturdy paring knife, peel it carefully and add a bit of the French countryside flavor to your table.
Georgeanne Brennan is an award-winning author who lives in Winters (Yolo County), where she writes and runs La Vie Rustic, an online store of French-style kitchen and garden products. E-mail: food@sfchronicle.com
Getting to the root: A primer
Here’s how to get the most out of this imposing-looking vegetable.
Buy it now: Fall through early spring is high season.
Pick the best: Look for celery root that is heavy in your hand, indicating it is dense and solid, not pithy.
The stalks? You may find them with or without stalks. If the stalks are attached, they should be crisp and fresh looking, not limp and dry; any leaves should be green, not yellow.
Now what? First peel away the rough, brownish skin and hairy rootlets. Then you’re ready to:
Grate or slice: Eat it raw in salads or cut into slender sticks for a dipping vegetable.
Cube and boil: It can be boiled on its own or along with potatoes, and mashed or pureed.
Cube and steam: Then butter for a simple side dish
And more: Combine celery root with other vegetables in gratins, soups or stews.
Creamy Celery Root Soup
Serves 6
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pounds celery root, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 stalks celery, including leaves, chopped
4 leeks, white parts only, chopped
1 shallot, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
Pinch red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper, to taste
½ cup dry white wine
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
Optional garnishes: chopped chives or chervil, minced crisp bacon or pancetta
Instructions: In a heavy-bottom stock pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the celery root, celery, leeks and shallot, and stir until the leeks and shallots are translucent, about 2 minutes.
Sprinkle with the salt and red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper. Add the white wine, bring to a boil, and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the chicken broth and reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the celery root is tender to a fork, 15-20 minutes.
Puree until smooth with an immersion blender or in batches in a standard blender. Return to a clean pot, stir in the cream and simmer gently until the soup reaches a creamy consistency, about 5 minutes.
For an exceptionally smooth as silk soup, strain through a Chinoise, return again to a clean pot, and gently reheat again to just a simmer.
Garnish, if desired, and serve hot.
Per serving: 389 calories, 7 g protein, 24 g carbohydrates, 22 g fat (13 g saturated), 73 mg cholesterol, 536 mg sodium, 4 g fiber.
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French Vegetable Recipes Vegetable Recipes 2015 in Urdu Filipino for Kids Indian Chinese Panlasang Pinoy Images Photos Pics
French Vegetable Recipes Vegetable Recipes 2015 in Urdu Filipino for Kids Indian Chinese Panlasang Pinoy Images Photos Pics
French Vegetable Recipes Vegetable Recipes 2015 in Urdu Filipino for Kids Indian Chinese Panlasang Pinoy Images Photos Pics
French Vegetable Recipes Vegetable Recipes 2015 in Urdu Filipino for Kids Indian Chinese Panlasang Pinoy Images Photos Pics
French Vegetable Recipes Vegetable Recipes 2015 in Urdu Filipino for Kids Indian Chinese Panlasang Pinoy Images Photos Pics
French Vegetable Recipes Vegetable Recipes 2015 in Urdu Filipino for Kids Indian Chinese Panlasang Pinoy Images Photos Pics
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