Category: Celery Celeriac

I have a few favorite recipes that I turn to again and again. For the Fall and Winter holidays this Parsnip Cake is a favorite, it has a great texture and keeps for several days. It can be made a day or two ahead and it’s just fine, maybe better.  The slight vegetal flavor and spice are just what I want in a fall dessert. For a couple years now our parsnip crops have failed for one reason or another so I haven’t made Parsnip Cake for at least a couple years. I was planning my Thanksgiving menu wishing we had some parsnips for the cake, and a light bulb went off….parsnips and celeriac are ‘related’ (Apiaceae family).

I love celeriac and had celeriac,  I wanted to make  the Parsnip Cake and didn’t have any parsnips, so…I used my recipe for parsnip cake and subbed equal amounts of celeriac for parsnips and voila.

After successfully subbing celeriac for parsnips I’m confident you could use any carrot cake recipe you like and sub parsnips, celeriac, beets or even rutabagas and be happy with the results. Some vegetables might be more pronounced but I’m sure all will be delicious. I like this recipe because it uses melted butter instead of oil giving the cake a nice refined texture, not heavy and oily like most carrot cakes.

There is a pretty good amount of celeriac, you can see here in the batter before it’s baked. There is some apple in there too to add to the moisture level and give it a tart sweetness.

The cakes bake nice and even and are easy to handle.

Recipe Celeriac Cake

• 12 tablespoons of butter
• 250gm turbinado sugar (can sub raw sugar or brown sugar)
• 100gm maple syrup
• 3 eggs
• 250gm all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp all spice
• 250gm grated celeriac
• 1 apple grated (I didn’t peel it)
• 50gm chopped nuts
• zest and juice of one small orange (I used a mandarin)

 

 

 

 

 

I have lots of root vegetables in my refrigerator, I bet you do too. I love making a big batch of various collections of roasted vegetables and using them in different meals throughout the week. This is another way I like to use root vegetables. Like roasted, these pan fried patties make delicious meals easy to pull together. Make more than you think you need. You’ll be happy to have leftovers.

They look like potato latkes don’t they?

That’s because I pretty much make them how I make latkes but I prefer to mix and match whatever root vegetables I have. Today I had some potatoes and celeriac. Kohlrabi or rutabagas make great hashbrowns too. Just sub what you have and what you like.

Aim for about 1 1/2-2 pounds of vegetables for about 8 pretty good sized ‘patties’. Scale this recipe up or down with what you have.

I used a food processor to grate the vegetables. You could use a box grater if that is what you have.

• 1 pound celeriac peeled and grated
• 1 pound potatoes washed and grated. I don’t peel them. I also use whatever potatoes I have. I know people say to only use russet. I use what I have.
• 1 medium onion grated
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch, potato starch, arrowroot or tapioca starch.
• salt and pepper and optional red pepper flakes

Throw everything in a bowl and toss/mix it really well. I know for latkes people squeeze out the water from the potatoes. I don’t ever squeeze. There is liquid at the bottom of the bowl, whatever, it always works out. If you want to squeeze your vegetables though, do it!

All mixed up it looks dry doesn’t it? Don’t worry it will be great.

Heat a skillet on the stove for a few minutes on medium. When it’s good and hot add a slick of oil and spoon mounds of the mixture into the skillet. Look at the photo below; It looks dry and like it will fall apart when you turn them. It will be fine, the egg and the starch and the moisture from the vegetables are making delicious magic. Let them cook for about 3 minuets and carefully turn them and give them about 3 more minutes on the second side. Set the finished ones aside and finish the rest.

We ate these with some soup, dipping them into the soup the first night I made them. With the leftovers I made them into a kind of hybrid breakfast burrito/soft taco. I had some leftover refried beans from last week that were great with the leftover hashbrowns.

Have a great week.

Mo

 

Fall and Winter crops are here and one of my favorite vegetables is a choice this week-Celeriac! Days are noticeably shorter and cooler and I wanted some soup.

I say all the time ‘use what you have and what you like’ and that is what I did to make this Celeriac Soup.

 

I looked at my basic potato leek soup recipe and gathered pretty much equal amounts of whatever ingredients I had to make this soup. I bet you have most of these ingredients, or similar enough in your refrigerator and can make this soup too.

• 1 little leek and a couple little onions washed and cut into circles.
• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of celeriac and a few smalls potatoes
• 2 tablespoons of butter or olive oil to sauté the vegetables, I used a little of both
• 4 cups of liquid maybe a little more to thin it outt. You can use vegetable or chicken stock, or water or milk-dairy or plant based. I used chicken stock today, I thought I was going to use some oat milk too, I like to mix liquids, when I took this photo, but I didn’t use it after all. But you might want to.
• Salt, pepper and any herbs you like. I had some celery leaves so I am using those instead of herbs. I also added some bay leaves, not in this picture.
• You can always add optional toppings to finish the soup like cheeses, seeds or nuts or some crunchy raw vegetables are all a nice way to finish a hearty soup and make dinner feel special and fun. Look in your refrigerator and pantry for yummy toppings.

Peel the celeriac and cut up everything else and add it to a large pot. Sauté on medium heat with some butter and or olive oil and salt and pepper.

When all the vegetables have started to soften a little add whatever liquid you are using (I added my bay leaves at this point) and cover the pan with a lid and let that simmer for at least 45 minutes or an hour or so until everything is really really soft.

When the vegetables are done your soup is done, it’s that easy. Taste it and see if you want to add some milk or cream or salt or pepper, maybe more liquid? I blended mine a little with an immersion blender. I left some chunks, I like it chunky. If you do blend it and you used bay leaves make sure you take the bay leaves out don’t blend them!

My soup was really nice at this point and I didn’t want to add anything except a few chives. I thought I was going to add milk or cheese but no. I had made some pumpkin bread that went perfectly with the soup. Super simple and fast.

Taste yours you may want to add something, otherwise, your done! Dinner is served!

Well Friends. This is Week 22. Thank you so much for your support. Winter CSA starts next week and I hope to see you at the Winter pickups, but if not hopefully next year in our regular season CSA.

Be well.

Mo

 

 

 

 

 

How about that celery we are getting this year! When I’m standing in the field some of the celery is almost as tall as I am, I’m not even kidding.

I made a really basic pureed soup with some of my celery.

With any blended soup I love to play with toppings to dress it up, toppings also add interest and make the soup more of a meal. Kids love toppings too. Here I have apples and peanuts and apples and blue cheese. Leftover chunks of roasted vegetables are really nice in blended soups too, and of course croutons or crusty bread is always prefect with soup.

This only took about 1/2 hour to make. While you are cooking the soup, look through your pantry and refrigerator and see what toppings you want to add.

Simple Celery Soup

• 2 tablespoons butter or oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 big bunch of celery, cut into 1-inch chunks I used both these bunches
• 1 medium potato cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 small apple cut into 1-inch chunks
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 quart (945ml) vegetable stock or water, plus more to adjust
• 1/3 cup heavy cream or coconut cream, yogurt or nut milk (optional)

In a large saucepan, melt butter or oil add onion, celery, potato, apple, and a large pinch of salt and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.

Add vegetable stock or water and simmer until vegetables are completely tender, about 30 minutes. Working in batches, ladle vegetables and broth into a blender pitcher, making sure not to fill pitcher more than halfway. Blend soup, starting at low speed and gradually increasing speed to high, until totally smooth.

The sun was going down so I didn’t get any more pictures of blending it but I took a few pictures the next day when it was blended and topped.

Simple is good.

Have a great week.

Mo

We haven’t been growing celtuce for very long here at Red Wagon. When we did, I absolutely fell in love with it. I really hope you try this wonderful vegetable.

It’s easy to prepare, peel the tender outside to reveal the crunchy, juicy, tender, delicate mild flesh.

You use it exactly like a cucumber or zucchini; raw in salads, simmered in soups, ribboned in a pasta or stir-fried.

Try making this simple salad. I think you too will fall in love with celtuce.

• 1 to 2 large celtuce peeled and cut into bite size pieces
• 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs; basil, sorrel or mint are all nice
• 2 to 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tsp agave or honey
• Salt and pepper to taste

Combine everything in a bowl and taste and see if you need more salt or sweetener

Simple and delicious.

Have a great week. See you at pickup.

Mo

 

 

This is a really easy celeriac dish that comes together in about 40 minutes with only about 10 minutes of hands on time, 30 minutes is cooking. You only need a few ingredients and if you are new to cooking with celeriac this will give you an idea of the flavor and texture of the vegetable.

I followed this recipe exactly.

The rice in this dish gives it a firmer texture than a puree using only celeriac but lets the celeriac flavor shine on it’s own. The milk makes it luxurious without being heavy like mashed potatoes made with cream and butter.

I used two celeriac. Here is how to prepare them if you need help with that. You’ll need;

• ³/₄ pound celeriac (celery root) peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 quart milk
• Salt and pepper
• ¹/₂ cup rice
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Put everything but the cream into a pan and simmer for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes (I let mine stand off the burner for another 15 minutes so it wasn’t so hot transferring it). Strain out the rice and celeriac (save the yummy flavored milk for soup or making mashed potatoes) and put the solids and the cream in a food processor and let it spin for a full 3 minutes.

That’s it.

You can serve this with any roasted meat. It’s really good with a mix of roasted vegetables.

I hope you try this and enjoy it.

Mo

 

 

 

 

Behold celeriac, also referred to as celery root. One of my favorite vegetables and also, one of the weirdest looking vegetables we grow. Weird but delicious. You can use celeriac in any root vegetable recipe; soups, roasted, puree or in slaws and salads.  You can use it alone or mixed with any other root vegetables. Its flavor is similar to a salad turnip but it also has a hint of celery-like freshness. That freshness is delightful and unexpected in a root vegetable dish. I love to mix different root vegetables together in soups and gratins.

An added bonus of this wonderful vegetable it is stores in your refrigerator for a really really long time, like months.

Don’t let it’s looks intimidate you. Celeriac isn’t much harder to deal with than a potato. Let’s break this task down. Grab your celeriac and a knife and peeler you are comfortable handling.

Put the celeriac on it’s side and lob off the bottom gnarly root. I cut at an angle to make a point at the bottom of the root, making sure to cut away from the hand holding the celeriac.

Then I used a peeler and peeled the smoother upper part of the root.

There are usually some areas where you can’t peel and there is some dirt to get rid of.

Just get your paring knife or the tip of your peeler and cut those out like you would an eye of a potato or a bad spot on a potato, easy peasy.

That’s it. You are ready to carry on with whatever recipe you are making.

If you are new to celeriac try making a simple mash or classic remoulade. I think you will really like the flavor.

Mo

 

 

 

Celtuce pronounced  ‘sel-tis’.

Celtuce is an Asian vegetable. To me it tastes like a cross of a cucumber and the thick rib of a romaine lettuce leaf. It has a very concentrated lettuce taste and is very ‘juicy’ and tender. The leaves are a little bitter but very tender. In Asian stores they sell the stem and the leaves separately I guess because they are so different in flavor.

I would use the leaves like I would radicchio. As the leaves are a little bitter don’t let that scare you off eating the stems if you don’t like bitter vegetables. Just throw the leaves away and move on to the mild tender stems.

To use the stems you peel them like tough asparagus stock bottoms or even celery. Use a vegetable peeler or just a knife and peel the stringy outside off the tender stock. They peel very easily.

You can eat celtuce raw alone or in salads like you would celery, carrots or cucumbers, or very quickly stir fry it for a quick side dish, don’t cook it too long or it will turn to mush. You can cut it in coins or in small blocks.

This looked like an easy tasty recipe I might try soon. I made some egg drop soup and added celtuce to the soup and cooked it for just a minute or two. The mild flavor and texture was perfect with the egg and tofu. Yummy.

Celtuce stems will keep for a really long time, at least 3 or 4 weeks in plastic in the refrigerator. Cut the top  off if you are storing celtuce.  Don’t peel your stems before storing. Put the stems in a plastic bag and keep them in your vegetable drawer.

I hope you will try celtuce this week. It’s a mild very approachable vegetable I think you will really like.

See you at pickup.

Mo