Celeriac is also known as ‘celery root,’ ‘turnip-rooted celery’ or ‘knob celery’. It’s a kind of celery, grown as a root vegetable for its large and well-developed taproot rather than for its stem and leaves. The taproot is typically used when it is about 10–12 cm in diameter; about the size of a large potato. Unlike other root vegetables, which store a large amount of starch, celery root is only about 5-6% starch by weight.
You can eat it raw or cooked. It has a tough, furrowed, outer surface which is usually sliced off before use because it is too rough to peel. Celeriac has a celery flavour, and is often used as a flavouring in soups and stews; it can also be used on its own, usually mashed, or used in casseroles, gratins and baked dishes.
The hollow stalk of the upper plant is sometimes cut into drinking straw lengths, rinsed, and used in the serving of tomato-based drinks such as the Bloody Mary cocktail. The tomato juice is lightly flavoured with celery as it passes through the stalk.
Celeriac is not as widely used as some other root vegetables, perhaps because it is harder to prepare and clean, but it is high in vitamin C, calcium and potassium and is definitely worth a little effort.
The following recipe was originally from Gold Top Milk but I’ve made a couple of modifications to suit my diet and it turned out really well. I used an extremely fresh celeriac from our farmers’ market and the smell took over the whole kitchen before I’d even sliced it open.
Celeriac Soup
Serves 6
25g (1oz) butter
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 potato, peeled and cubed (about 200g/7oz)
1 celeriac (about 750g/ 1 1/2lb) peeled and cubed - I used the stalk and leaves too.
600ml (1 pint) hot good chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
600ml (1 pint) Gold Top milk
300g (10oz) Spanish Chorizo sausage, skin peeled off - I love chorizo but it doesn’t love me or my tummy, so I missed it out.
Flat leaved parsley, whole leaves or roughly chopped
Put the butter and onion in a large pan and cook over a medium heat, covered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened but not browned.
Add the cubes of potato and celeriac, stir well and cook, covered over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pour in the stock, half cover and cook for 30-35 minutes or until the vegetables are tender enough to mash.
Puree the mixture in a food processor until smooth. Pour it back into the pan, add the Gold Top milk, season well and warm through. Add more milk or stock to get the soup the consistency you like.
Slice the chorizo and put into a frying pan over a medium heat for a few minutes, turning the slices over until just browned on both sides and the flavoured oil is released.
Spoon the soup into bowls. Place chorizo slices on top and drizzle the oil over. Add parsley leaves and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.
Creamy and warming, this soup could even convert celery-haters!
For lots more recipe ideas check out www.gold-top.co.uk
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celeriac
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