Late Winter Eating: Celeriac and Carrot Salad

We have been pondering celeriac, or celery root. This distinctly unfriendly-looking vegetable tends to lurk off to the side of the produce section or farmer's stand, its knobbly and hairy ridges a deterrent to even intrepid cooks. But we hear it's pretty amazing, with innards that have a delicate sweetness when cooked. Here's a recipe that we're pondering, along with this heretofore unknown vegetable: celeriac and carrot salad with cilantro-coriander dressing.

Celeriac, as we explain here in our market spotlight on celery root, is a relative of celery but not its actual root. The stalks that may still be attached to your lump of celery root are much tougher than the fresh green celery we snack on.

But the root itself is delicious when baked in a gratin, boiled up with potatoes, or steamed in matchsticks, like in this recipe. We also like this recipe's whimsy: just as celery root is a play on celery but not actually the real thing, cilantro and coriander are related but not identical: cilantro is the leaf of the plant, and coriander is the seed. So they all play well together.

Do you have a favorite recipe for celeriac?

• Get the recipe: Celeriac and Carrot Salad with Cilantro-Coriander Dressing at Metropolitan Home

Related: How to Peel Celery Root

(Image: Jim Franco for Metropolitan Home)

Comments (7)

I don't have a way to make celeriac, as I've never played in that particular section of the garden, but that salad looks like a great place to start. I do know that when all my chef pals see the first celeriac at the farmer's markets, they get a little buggy, so i know there's more than meets the eye. Thanks for the sharing!
Bruce
http://wineguyworld.blogspot.com

i have soooo many questions about celery root. i'd tasted a puree at a restaurant - buttery, creamy and smooth with a sweet but slightly tangy celery flavor. when i tried making it at home it turned out bitter and way too celery-y; almost anise or licorice-y. a recipe i found afterwards called for simmering the cubed root in milk or cream. maybe to draw some of the bitterness out? or was my root unripe?

http://www.oureats.tumblr.com

I'm at the point where I don't feel like eating many more root veggies, although this looks lovely. Earlier in the season, I was all over this slow roasted celery celeriac soup from Delia Smith. Great with any kind of blue cheese.
Something really amazing happens when you slow-roast celeriac. It mellows and gets so soft and melty. Maybe that's the key to it not being bitter, although I think I've heard it depends what root you pick up.

I wrote about the soup in January:

http://bunnycucina.blogspot.com/2009/01/celeriac-celery-yummy-soup.html

I believe Orangette has a big thing for celeriac too? Yep, here's a post with another nice soup recipe

http://orangette.blogspot.com/2007/01/bad-case.html

I just used celeriac for the first time this week as a low-carb/low-calorie substitute for white potatoes in a crockpot veggie curry recipe. I'm now in love with it. :) It does add a very distinct celery taste to the dish, but I find I welcome the addition. As far as getting past the fugly outer skin goes, after washing it in warm water, I used a paring knife to lob off the noticeable roots and large bumps, then used a vegetable peeler to do the rest. Give it a try, all...

nenasadije, I cut some of the strong flavor of celeriac by combining it with regular potatoes for a mash. Lots of mashing potatoes, one celeriac, and a healthy dose of horseradish is one of my faves.

Traditional French cuisine also often includes a celeriac vinaigrette--make a nice vinaigrette with red wine vinegar and good Dijon, plenty of salt and pepper, and a bit of fresh snipped chive or parsley and dress grated raw celeriac with it!

Oh god, I love celeriac. I have mostly cooked/eaten it in purees as well, I used an Alton Brown recipe to great effect for Christmas Eve dinner last year (second meal in this post): http://katek.wordpress.com/2009/01/13/embarassment-of-riches/

The smell while it was simmering was unbelievably heavenly, and I liked that while the puree is rich and flavorful it retains a bit of a vegetable feel, not as heavy as mashed potatoes even though it serves the same purpose.