One of the bonuses
of this time of year is all the hearty vegetables it brings us, which
satisfies our cravings for warming comfort foods. The celeriac season
stretches from September through to April, making it ideal ingredient
to enhance those imaginative Christmas recipes.
Originating from Europe,
the celeriac was introduced to Britain in the 1700's by an enterprising
seedsman. Although it is still a much favoured ingredient on the continent,
celeriac has been sadly neglected by the British cook. It remains a
fairly elusive vegetable, plagued with an ugly appearance and general
uncertainty over how to use it.
Resembling the turnip in
appearance, celeriac has a rough, fibrous outer skin and the flavour
and aroma of celery, though surprisingly it is actually a member of
the parsley family.
Choose celeriac which is
pale, of medium size with a slight greenish colouring on the top, with
no visible wrinkling. Celeriac provides us with potassium, calcium
and vitamin C, and contains just 14 calories per 100g.
Celeriac has a wonderful
ability to absorb flavours, and is infinitely tastier than celery.
The whole bulb can be eaten, and the leaves are excellent for flavouring
soups.
To cook, peel the skin as
thinly as possible, as the goodness lies beneath it and sprinkle with
lemon juice to prevent discolouring. Unlike most root vegetables, which
are brought to the boil from cold, celeriac must be added to boiling
salted water and then brought back to a simmer. Cut into slices or
cubes and cook for 10 minutes. Raw celeriac can be used shredded in
salads, but is best if first blanched in boiling water for a few seconds
then refreshed in cold water to remove the slightly bitter taste.
Be
adventurous and experience the versatility of celeriac this Christmas,
with these mouth watering Celeriac
Recipes. |
