Celeriac is the knobbly vegetable in the supermarket that no-one knows what to do with. It’s actually a very versatile and nutritious vegetable with a mild celery/parsley flavour.

Image result for celeriac growingClosely related to celery, celeriac is grown for it’s bulbous root rather than it’s stems, it is a good source of fiber, B vitamins, vitamin C, Vitamin K, phosphorus and potassium.

So What Can I Do With It…

Being a root vegetable, celeriac can be used in the same way as any other root – roasted, steamed, mashed, pureed…. It can be used as a celery alternative in soups, stews and salads. Celeriac will discolour once you’ve cut it, so soak it in water with a little lemon juice to prevent it going brown around the edges.

How do I Prepare It…

The skin of celeriac is quite thick and tough, it’s also a knobbly vegetable so can harbour dirt.  The best way prepare it is:

  1. Wash under running water and give it a scrub with a vegetable brush to remove as much earth as possible.
  2. Cut the top and bottom off the root – this gives you a flat base to work from.
  3. Cut around and down the sides until all the skin and rooty bits are removed.
  4. You can now use the celeriac in whatever form you wish – cubed, sliced, batons or grated.
  5. If you want to do something with all the peelings, they give a fantastic flavoured stock.  Just cover with water, simmer for 20min, strain and use the liquid in soups, stews, etc.

Some recipe ideas…

An image of a bowl of celeriac, apple & thyme soup

Celeriac, Apple and Thyme Soup

This soup surprised me, I didn’t think I would like it, I’ve never enjoyed savoury with sweet flavours! It’s also very white and I like dishes with a bit of colour. Serve it in a brightly coloured bowl, the cheese finishes it perfectly.

Serves 6

1 large celeriac root

1 medium onion

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

2 sticks celery

1 tbsp oil

Approx. 750ml chicken or vegetable stock

1 small cooking apple

1 medium eating apple

100ml double cream

120g strong cheese, eg. Cheddar or stilton, grated

  1. Scrub the celeriac root, cut off the skin and cut into chunks.
  2. Put the celeriac peelings into the stock and bring to the boil. Simmer while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
  3. Roughly chop the onion and celery, heat the oil in a large pot and fry gently with the diced celeriac.
  4. Peel, core and roughly chop the apples add to the pan with the thyme and strain in the stock. Bring to the boil, simmer for 20mins.
  5. Puree with a hand blender or liquidiser, add the cream and season to taste.
  6. To serve, put 20g grated cheese in the bottom of a bowl and ladle over the soup. Serve with crusty bread.
Cooked minced beef under a layer of mashed potato

Celeriac Mash

Adding celeriac to potatoes to make a mash reduces the calories drastically. 100g celeriac has just over 14 calories, whereas 100g potatoes has just over 71 calories. By mixing the two, you reduce your calories, but increase flavour without having to add butter or milk to make the potato spreadable.

Makes as much as you like!

1/3 celeriac root, peeled & roughly chopped

2/3 floury potates, peeled and roughly chopped

Salt & pepper to taste

  1. Put the potatoes into a pot with a lid. Add enough water to just cover and put the celeriac on top. The idea is to boil the potatoes, but steam the celeriac. Bring to the boil and simmer until the potatoes are cooked.
  2. Drain well, mash and add salt and pepper to taste.

Celeriac Slaw

Celeriac is good ingredient in coleslaw. I think it looks best teamed up with colourful veg! This salad is even better the next day once the celeriac and cabbage have softened and the flavours have had a chance to mingle.

¼ celeriac root, peeled and cut into fine shreds

¼ red cabbage, finely sliced

1 carrot, coarsley grated

1 red apple, cored & cubed

2 tbsp mayonnaise

2 tbsp Greek yogurt

1 tsp horseradish sauce

Squeeze of lemon juice

Salt & pepper

Chives (optional)

  1. Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well to combine. Pile into a bowl and sprinkle with snipped chives to finish.