Today, I am highlighting my nostalgic appreciation for an underrated (imo) veggie that is very dear to me: celery root, also called celeriac.
With its brownish bulbous appearance and irregular shape, celery root is not the prettiest or the easiest to work with, but the extra effort is worth it, imo. “Celeriac, also known as celery root, turnip-rooted celery, or knob celery, is a large, bumpy, brown vegetable that’s harvested in the wintertime (…) Celeriac is a variety of celery that has a big, bulbous stem, much like an ugly, knobby turnip (hence the nickname). Unlike other types of celery, it’s harvested for the round stem (often confused as a root) instead of the green shoots.”
According to The Spruce Eats, celery root is part of the same botanical family as parsley, parsnips, and carrots, and can be roasted, boiled, steamed, mashed, and even grated raw into salads.
Growing up, I would see my mom use celery root in salads and soups during fall and winter, when fresh produce was hard to find, and we lived off our pantry as much as possible. These days, I like to use celery root in a similar fashion, grated in salads with other root veggies such as carrots, or blended into creamy soups, vegetarian or vegan. As an example, below you have a vegan celery root, parsnip and turnip green soup:
I also love it in sandwiches, and you are welcome to check out my recipes here and here.
According to the same article published on the Spruce Eats, “Celery root can also step in for potatoes in some recipes to make a low-carb version. Try replacing half of the potatoes in mashed potatoes or blended potato soup.” Good to know 🙂
Wash celery root well, scrubbing away the dirt, then peel it carefully prior to using. For easier prepping, you can halve or quarter it before washing and peeling.
Do you use celery root? What other root veggies are you “rooting” for this season? Let me know in the comments 🙂
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